Reading The BooksWhat!
by Andie lupin
Summary: Umbridge. We all knew she was low but now she is reading the harry potter books to all of hogwarts? and a whole bunch of other people and could time travelers get involved? horrid summary but please read! Warning mentions of abuse
1. Chapter 1

**Hello fanfiction world this is my first ever story that I've shared I will not abandon this but I am very sensitive about my writing so without further ado**

**NITWIT BLUBBER ODIMENT TWEAK!**

**The night before all hell breaks loose **

Dolores sat fuming in her office not even her beautiful cats could make her feel better. That dratted boy that potter was still fighting her with his wretched lies! Why couldn't he see that she was doing everything for his own good? For the good of the wizarding world!

As she was ranting she heard a rather loud POP then Seven books landed on her desk. Her lips curled into a sneering smile and she got out a parchment and began to write a letter.

Later that evening before dinner she cleared her throat.

"Hem hem children tomorrow we will be reading instead of having classes," she said  
Those horrid weasley twins began cheering.

"Finally someone thought of our idea," one said.

"Excuse me we will be reading this its called Harry Potter…And The Sorcerers Stone."

**Who thought that was a good way to start review if you thought so im not sure where this will go or whether or not I shoild put in jmy own OCs I hope so**

**DUMBLEDORE WANTS YOU…..TO REVIEW!**


	2. AUTHORS NOTE VOTING

To my readers I want to include my OC's So theyre will be a voting HERE ARE YOUR CHOICES

Cedric Diggory 2 son of Cho and Cedric cho is six months at the time 17

Rosalynda black sirius blacks kid also goes by lyn 16

Andromeda Lupin twin to teddy lupin 15 goes only by andie

You can mix it up or pick one all of them time travelers will come up I know for a fact that teddy lupin is coming


	3. The Boy Who Lived

_**HEY I JUST REALIZED I FORGOT AN AUTHORS NOTE SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL OF YOUR FEEDBACK IT'S SO COOL OF YOU GUYS AND SO MANY FAVORITES AND ALERTS ITS CRAZY**_

**_DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER ALL J.K. ROWLING'S_** (sad face)

"What?" No," You can't!" Hermione Ron and Harry shouted the other houses looked interested but Gryffindor was horrified.

"SILENCE!" umbridge shouted "whether you like it or not we are reading these books why don't you want to read them because they will expose your lies?" she questioned.

**"IF HARRY DOESN'T WANT US TO READ IT THEN WE SHOULDNT,"**Luna said angrily her eyes flashing.

Everyone was shocked seeing Luna like this she usually was so soft spoken and dreamy seeing her red faced and shouting was almost impossible.

"Luna calm down," Ginny said soothingly Luna huffed angrily and sat down Cho and Terry Boot soothed her.

Hermione whipped out her DA galleon and called an emergency meeting.

*Room Of Requirement*

"Well if these books are true then DAs secret is out," Harry sighed.

Many people groaned Luna looked furious again.

"This is such an invasion of your privacy Harry its awful that we can't to anything I swear I am going to find a crumple horned snorcack and release it in her office," she threatened Harry smiled at her thankfully.

"Thanks Luna but there isn't much we can do is there" Harry ran a hand through his hair annoyed at the toad.

"Wait if we're reading books about your Hogwarts years everyone will know the truth about you know who!" Ginny pointed out.

"And about Umbridge being such a toad," Cho added happily.

"And Sirius!" Hermione whispered excitedly.

Harry smiled a bit.

"Well if that's it we better go get some sleep?" Neville suggested smartly.

The next day

The next day the Gryffindor woke and went to the great hall they saw many people.

The order was there, Amelia bones, Cornelius fudge, the rest of the weasleys, and a big black dog who bounded over to Harry as soon as he came in.

"Hello snuffles I missed you," he said scratching behind the dogs ears.

"Hem hem," an annoying voice said "let us begin reading."

**Mr. And Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.**

"Boring," The twins sang Tonks nodded thought fully

**They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense. **

"nonsense," Hermione said appalled she could never think of magic as nonsense Mrs. Weasley felt the same

**Mr. Dursley was the director of a firm called Grunnings, which made drills.**

"Drills?" a fifth year hufflepuff asked

"Just write down anything you don't understand and we can answer that when we break", professor Burbage said still fuming that umbridge had the audacity to speak harrys life to is peers Mr. Weasley decided to attend this seminar on muggle things.

**He was a big, beefy man with hardly any neck, although he did have a very large mustache. Mrs. Dursley was thin and blonde and had nearly twice the usual amount of neck, which came in very useful as she spent so much of her time craning over garden fences, spying on the neighbors. The Dursleys had a small son called Dudley and in their opinion there was no finer boy anywhere.**

"Wow I love your descriptions except for the whales" Fred said

"I agree it is not your best just wait for yours" Ron whispered

**The Dursleys had everything they wanted, but they also had a secret, and their greatest fear was that somebody would discover it. They didn't think they could bear it if anyone found out about the Potters. **

"What wrong with the potters" quite a few people growled

**Mrs. Potter was Mrs. Dursley's sister, but they hadn't met for several years; in fact, Mrs. Dursley pretended she didn't have a sister, because her sister and her good-for-nothing husband were as unDursleyish as it was possible to be. **

"WHAT!" there was a general out burst harry could make out a couple of voices above the din

"James Potter was not good for nothing" McGonagall shouted

"How dare she speak about Lilly like that" Snape growled this confused harry didn't he hate his mum

James was a great man and Lilly was one of the most amazing people I knew Remus thought how dare they be spoken of like that

**The Dursleys shuddered to think what the neighbors would say if the Potters arrived in the street. The Dursleys knew that the Potters had a small son, too, but they had never even seen him. This boy was another good reason for keeping the Potters away; they didn't want Dudley mixing with a child like that. **

"Harry is better than your lard of a son" Hermione huffed

**When Mr. And Mrs. Dursley woke up on the dull, gray Tuesday our story starts, there was nothing about the cloudy sky outside to suggest that strange and mysterious things would soon be happening all over the country. Mr. Dursley hummed as he picked out his most boring tie for work**

"AHA PROOF THEYRE BORING" the twins shouted

"MISSERS WEASLEY KINDLY SHUT UP OR HAVE A MONTH DETENTION" Umbridge screamed before continuing

**and Mrs. Dursley gossiped away happily as she wrestled a screaming Dudley into his high chair. None of them noticed a large, tawny owl flutter past the window. At half past eight, Mr. Dursley picked up his briefcase, pecked Mrs. Dursley on the cheek, and tried to kiss Dudley good-bye but missed, because Dudley was now having a tantrum and throwing his cereal at the walls.**

"What a lovely child" madam pomprfrey said her voice dripping with sarcasm Mrs. Weasley nodded her head curtly

**"Little tyke, " chortled Mr. Dursley**

"Whoa you think like Dursley" Ginny said and madam pompfrey turned green

**as he left the house. He got into his car and backed out of number four's drive. It was on the corner of the street that he noticed the first sign of something peculiar - a cat reading a map.**

"Minnie" many Gryffindor shouted playfully she smiled warmly at them she really did love her lion cubs

**For a second, Mr. Dursley didn't realize what he had seen - then he jerked his head around to look again. There was a tabby cat standing on the corner of Privet Drive, but there wasn't a map in sight. What could he have been thinking of?**

"Minnie?" harry questioned she laughed lightly

**It must have been a trick of the light. Mr. Dursley blinked and stared at the cat. It stared back. As Mr. Dursley drove around the corner and up the road, he watched the cat in his mirror. It was now reading the sign that said Privet Drive - no, looking at the sign; cats couldn't read maps or signs. **

"Yes they do" the Gryffindor shouted stubbornly

**Mr. Dursley gave himself a little shake and put the cat out of his mind. As he drove toward town he thought of nothing except a large order of drills he was hoping to get that day.**

**But on the edge of town, drills were driven out of his mind by something else. As he sat in the usual morning traffic jam, he couldn't help noticing that there seemed to be a lot of strangely dressed people about. People in cloaks.**

"So" a slytherin asked the other purebloods shrugged

**Mr. Dursley couldn't bear people who dressed in funny clothes - the getups you saw on young people! He supposed this was some stupid new fashion. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and his eyes fell on a huddle of these weirdoes standing quite close by. They were whispering excitedly together. Mr. Dursley was enraged to see that a couple of them weren't young at all; why, that man had to be older than he was, and wearing an emerald-green cloak!**

"Emerald was in back then" Remus said remembering the emerald craze

**The nerve of him! But then it struck Mr.** **Dursley that this was probably some silly stunt - these people were obviously collecting for something... Yes, that would be it.**

"Collecting?" Neville asked

"It'll be explained" Umbridge said smiling sickeningly before reading on

**The traffic moved on and a few minutes later, Mr. Dursley arrived in the Grunnings parking lot, his mind back on drills. He was in a very good mood until lunchtime, when he thought he'd stretch his legs and walk across the road**

"He exercised" harry asked feeling scandalized

**to buy himself a bun from the bakery.**

"Oh thank god I thought there was about to be an apocalypse" harry sighed earning many chuckles and snickers

**He'd forgotten all about the people in cloaks until he passed a group of them next to the baker's. He eyed them angrily as he passed. He didn't know why, but they made him uneasy.**

"Because you're a git" Ron suggested Hermione hit his head hissing language at him

**This bunch were whispering excitedly, too, and he couldn't see a single collecting tin. It was on his way back past them, clutching a large doughnut in a bag, that he caught a few words of what they were saying. "The Potters, that's right, that's what I heard yes, their son, Harry"**

"And you enter the story" George said happily this man was getting on his nerves

**Mr. Dursley stopped dead. Fear flooded him. He looked back at the whisperers as if he wanted to say something to them, but thought better of it. He dashed back across the road, hurried up to his office, snapped at his secretary not to disturb him, seized his telephone, and had almost finished dialing his home number when he changed his mind. He put the receiver back down and stroked his mustache, thinking...**

"That poor mustache" Luna sighed she earned many stares and decided to elaborate "its attached to his face" that set off the great hall in a blaze of giggles the twins stared interestingly at her

**No, he was being stupid. Potter wasn't such an unusual name. He was sure there were lots of people called Potter who had a son called Harry. Come to think of it, he wasn't even sure his nephew was called Harry. **

"Does he know your name now" Remus asked his eyes glinting snuffles growled harry nodded quickly

**He'd never even seen the boy. It might have been Harvey. Or Harold. There was no point in worrying Mrs. Dursley; she always got so upset at any mention of her sister. He didn't blame her - if he'd had a sister like that... But all the same, those people uncloaks... He found it a lot harder to concentrate on drills that afternoon and when he left the building at five o'clock, he was still so worried that he walked straight into someone just outside the door. "Sorry, " he grunted, as the tiny old man stumbled and almost fell. It was a few seconds before Mr. Dursley realized that the man was wearing a violet cloak. He didn't seem at all upset at being almost knocked to the ground. On the contrary, his face split into a wide smile and he said in a squeaky voice that made passersby stare, "Don't be sorry, my dear sir, for nothing could upset me today! Rejoice, for You-Know-Who has gone at last! Even Muggles like yourself should be celebrating, this happy, happy day!" And the old man hugged Mr. Dursley around the middle and walked off.**

"Was that you professor?" Luna asked her voice dreamy flitwick nodded and she turned to face him "Why however did you fit?"

Everyone laughed again and the twins called her over to the Gryffindor table

"We can still corrupt you!" they said their faces full of glee she sat next to them and Neville and sighed happily it felt _great_having friends

**Mr. Dursley stood rooted to the spot. He had been hugged by a complete stranger. He also thought he had been called a Muggle, whatever that was.**

"You?" Fred suggested some people giggled at that

**He was rattled. He hurried to his car and set off for home, hoping he was imagining things, which he had never hoped before, because he didn't approve of imagination. As he pulled into the driveway of number four, the first thing he saw - and it didn't improve his mood -was the tabby cat he'd spotted that morning. It was now sitting on his garden wall. He was sure it was the same one; it had the same markings around its eyes. "Shoo!" said Mr. Dursley loudly. The cat didn't move. It just gave him a stern look.**

"Oh yeah that's Minnie" the golden trio said McGonagall glared at them

**Was this normal cat behavior? Mr. Dursley wondered. Trying to pull himself together, he let himself into the house. He was still determined not to mention anything to his wife.**

"Coward" some people hissed

**Mrs. Dursley had had a nice, normal day. She told him over dinner all about Mrs. Next Door's problems with her daughter and how Dudley had learned a new word ("Won't!").**

"That's charming" Mrs. Weasley huffed her children certainly never acted like_ that_

**Mr. Dursley tried to act normally. When Dudley had been put to bed, he went into the living room in time to catch the last report on the evening news:"And finally, bird-watchers everywhere have reported that the nation's owls have been behaving very unusually today. Although owls normally hunt at night and are hardly ever seen in daylight, there have been hundreds of sightings of these birds flying in every direction since sunrise. Experts are unable to explain why the owls have suddenly changed their sleeping pattern. " The newscaster allowed himself a grin. "Most mysterious. And now, over to Jim Magoffin with the weather. Going to be any more showers of owls tonight, Jim?" Well, Ted**

"Isn't that your dad Tonks?" Remus asked she nodded happily

**said the weatherman, "I don't know about that, but it's not only the owls that have been acting oddly today. Viewers as far apart as Kent, Yorkshire, and Dundee have been phoning in to tell me that instead of the rain I promised yesterday, they've had a downpour of shooting stars!**

"That would be me" Tonks said raising her hand happy but guilty it had been an accident after all

**Perhaps people have been celebrating Bonfire Night early - it's not until next week, folks! But I can promise a wet night tonight. "Mr. Dursley sat frozen in his armchair. Shooting stars all over Britain? Owls flying by daylight? Mysterious people in cloaks all over the place? And a whisper, a whisper about the Potters... Mrs. Dursley came into the living room carrying two cups of tea. It was no good. He'd have to say something to her.**

"Good" Snape said "grow a backbone you lump he's as bad as he was when I was went to lily's house" he realized what he said a fraction of a second to late a hush fell on the great hall

"You knew my mum?" harry asked confused

"Yes potter we used to be friends" Snape answered and gestured for Umbridge to keep reading harry looked at him with a look that clearly said he wasn't letting that go

**He cleared his throat nervously. "Err - Petunia, dear - you haven't heard from your sister lately, have you?" As he had expected, Mrs. Dursley looked shocked and angry. After all, they normally pretended she didn't have a sister.**

"Awful muggles" Draco muttered he didn't really like potter but they were related actually he knew his mum he used to call her aunt Lilly

**"No, " she said sharply. "Why?" Funny stuff on the news, "Mr. Dursley mumbled. "Owls... Shooting stars... And there were a lot of funny-looking people in town today... ""So?" snapped Mrs. Dursley. "Well, I just thought... Maybe... It was something to do with... You know... Her crowd.**

"Her crowd he's joking right" bill said it was crazy to think that these muggles were related to harry a boy who was always polite and thoughtful

**"Mrs. Dursley sipped her tea through pursed lips. Mr. Dursley wondered whether he dared tell her he'd heard the name "Potter." He decided he didn't dare. Instead he said, as casually as he could, "Their son -he'd be about Dudley's age now, wouldn't he?" I suppose so, " said Mrs. Dursley stiffly. "What's his name again? Howard, isn't it?" Harry. Nasty, common name, if you ask me."**

"No one asked you you horse and harry is quite a lovely name" Ginny huffed sneaking a glance at harry and found him blushing

**"Oh, yes," said Mr. Dursley, his heart sinking horribly. "Yes, I quite agree. "He didn't say another word on the subject as they went upstairs to bed. While Mrs. Dursley was in the bathroom, Mr. Dursley crept to the bedroom window and peered down into the front garden. The cat was still there. It was staring down Privet Drive as though it were waiting for something. Was he imagining things? Could all this have anything to do with the Potters? If it did... If it got out that they were related to a pair of - well, he didn't think he could bear it. The Dursleys got into bed. Mrs. Dursley fell asleep quickly but Mr. Dursley lay awake, turning it all over in his mind. His last, comforting thought before he fell asleep was that even if the Potters were involved, there was no reason for them to come near him and Mrs. Dursley. The Potters knew very well what he and Petunia thought about them and their kind... He couldn't see how he and Petunia could get mixed up in anything that might be going on - he yawned and turned over - it couldn't affect them... How very wrong he was.**

"He jinxed himself" Hermione muttered

**Mr. Dursley might have been drifting into an uneasy sleep, but the cat on the wall outside was showing no sign of sleepiness. It was sitting as still as a statue, its eyes fixed unblinkingly on the far corner of Privet Drive.** **It didn't so much as quiver when a car door slammed on the next street, nor when two owls swooped overhead. In fact, it was nearly midnight before the cat moved at all. A man appeared on the corner the cat had been watching, appeared so suddenly and silently you'd have thought he'd just popped out of the ground. The cat's tail twitched and its eyes narrowed. Nothing like this man had ever been seen on Privet Drive. He was tall, thin, and very old, judging by the silver of his hair and beard, which were both long enough to tuck into his belt. He was wearing long robes, a purple cloak that swept the ground, and high-heeled, buckled boots.**

"Dumbledore" the twins said

**His blue eyes were light, bright, and sparkling behind half-moon spectacles**

"Dumbledore" the twins said louder

**and his nose was very long and crooked, as though it had been broken at least twice.**

"DUMBLEDORE" the twins shouted

**This man's name was Albus Dumbledore.**

"We just said that" they said calmly Umbridge looked like she swallowed a lemon

**Albus Dumbledore didn't seem to realize that he had just arrived in a street where everything from his name to his boots was unwelcome. **

"Oh I knew" he said his eyes twinkling I just didn't care

**He was busy rummaging in his cloak, looking for something. But he did seem to realize he was being watched, because he looked up suddenly at the cat, which was still staring at him from the other end of the street. For some reason, the sight of the cat seemed to amuse him. He chuckled and muttered, "I should have known. "He found what he was looking for in his inside pocket. It seemed to be a silver cigarette lighter. He flicked it open, held it up in the air, and clicked it. The nearest street lamp went out with a little pop.**

"Cool" the twins shouted "can we borrow it" Luna asked

"NO!" the professors shouted but Dumbledore winked at the three of them

**He clicked it again - the next lamp flickered into darkness. Twelve times he clicked the Put-Outer, until the only lights left on the whole street were two tiny pinpricks in the distance, which were the eyes of the cat watching him. If anyone looked out of their window now, even beady-eyed Mrs. Dursley, they wouldn't be able to see anything that was happening down on the pavement. Dumbledore slipped the Put-Outer back inside his cloak and set off down the street toward number four, where he sat down on the wall next to the cat. He didn't look at it, but after a moment he spoke to it. "Fancy seeing you here, Professor McGonagall."**

"Aha!" the Gryffindor shouted happily and McGonagall smiled warmly at them

**He turned to smile at the tabby, but it had gone. Instead he was smiling at a rather severe-looking woman who was wearing square glasses exactly the shape of the markings the cat had had around its eyes. She, too, was wearing a cloak, an emerald one. Her black hair was drawn into a tight bun. She looked distinctly ruffled. "How did you know it was me?" she asked. "My dear Professor, I 've never seen a cat sit so stiffly."**

"Well that's good to know Minnie sits stiffly" the twins said

"Call me that again misers Weasley and you'll be in for a months detention" Luna smiled mischievously

"Alright we wont call you that professor…..Minnie hey I called you professor Minnie" Luna defended herself McGonagall glowered and snapped at Umbridge to keep reading

**"You'd be stiff if you'd been sitting on a brick wall all day, " said Professor McGonagall. "All day? When you could have been celebrating? I must have passed a dozen feasts and parties on my way here. "Professor McGonagall sniffed angrily. "Oh yes, everyone's celebrating, all right, " she said impatiently. "You'd think they'd be a bit more careful, but no - even the Muggles have noticed something's going on. It was on their news. " She jerked her head back at the Dursleys' dark living-room window. "I heard it. Flocks of owls... Shooting stars... Well, they're not completely stupid. They were bound to notice something. Shooting stars down in Kent - I'll bet that was Dedalus Diggle.**

"Nope it was Nymphadora" Remus said and cowered when she glared at him

"Don't…..Call…..Me…**NYMPHADORA"** she yelled her hair an angry red

**He never had much sense. ""You can't blame them, " said Dumbledore gently. "We've had precious little to celebrate for eleven years. ""I know that, " said Professor McGonagall irritably. "But that's no reason to lose our heads.**

"YES IT IS!" it was not the twins but the trio who yelled this then blushed

**People are being downright careless, out on the streets in broad daylight, not even dressed in Muggle clothes, swapping rumors. "She threw a sharp, sideways glance at Dumbledore here, as though hoping he was going to tell her something, but he didn't, so she went on. "A fine thing it would be if, on the very day You Know-Who seems to have disappeared at last, the Muggles found out about us all. I suppose he really has gone, Dumbledore?" It certainly seems so, " said Dumbledore. "We have much to be thankful for. Would you care for a lemondrop?" A what?" A lemon drop. They're a kind of Muggle sweet I'm rather fond of"6"No, thank you, " said Professor McGonagall coldly, as though she didn't think this was the moment for lemon drops.**

"AH but it is ALWAYS TIME for lemon drops" Dumbledore said and a bowl of the sweet landed in front of everyone most people indulged and munched while listening

**"As I say, even if You-Know-Who has gone - ""My dear Professor, surely a sensible person like yourself can call him by his name? All this 'You-Know-Who' nonsense - for eleven years I have been trying to persuade people to call him by his proper name: Voldemort.**

"Wouldn't his proper name be tom riddle sir?" harry asked cheekily Dumbledore smiled and shrugged

**" Professor McGonagall flinched, but Dumbledore, who was unsticking two lemon drops, seemed not to notice. "It all gets so confusing if we keep saying 'You-Know-Who. ' I have never seen any reason to be frightened of saying Voldemort's name. "I know you haven 't, said Professor McGonagall, sounding half exasperated, half admiring. "But you're different. Everyone knows you're the only one You-Know-oh, all right, Voldemort, was frightened of. ""You flatter me, " said Dumbledore calmly. "Voldemort had powers I will never have. ""Only because you're too - well - noble to use them. ""It's lucky it's dark. I haven't blushed so much since Madam Pomfrey told me she liked my new earmuffs. "Professor McGonagall shot a sharp look at Dumbledore and said, "The owls are nothing next to the rumors that are flying around.**

"RUMOURS SPREAD FASTER THAN WILDFIRE" Dumbledore said looking sternly at his students

**You know what everyone's saying? About why he's disappeared? About what finally stopped him?" It seemed that Professor McGonagall had reached the point she was most anxious to discuss**

Harry put his head in his arms on the table, he really did not want to hear this many people shot him sympathetic looks

**the real reason she had been waiting on a cold, hard wall all day, for neither as a cat nor as a woman had she fixed Dumbledore with such a piercing stare as she did now. It was plain that whatever "everyone" was saying, she was not going to believe it until Dumbledore told her it was true.** **Dumbledore, however, was choosing another lemon drop and did not answer. "What they're saying, " she pressed on, "is that last night Voldemort turned up in Godric's Hollow. He went to find the Potters. The rumor is that Lily and James Potter are - are - that they're - dead. "Dumbledore bowed his head.**

As did everyone in the hall that knew Lilly and James or who knew harry

**Professor McGonagall gasped. "Lily and James... I can't believe it... I didn't want to believe it... Oh, Albus... "Dumbledore reached out and patted her on the shoulder. "I know... I know... " he said heavily. Professor McGonagall's voice trembled as she went on. "That's not all. They're saying he tried to kill the Potter's son, Harry. But - he couldn't. He couldn't kill that little boy. No one knows why, or how, but they're saying that when he couldn't kill Harry Potter, Voldemort's power somehow broke - and that's why he's gone. Dumbledore nodded glumly. "It's - it's true?" faltered Professor McGonagall. "After all he's done... All the people he's killed... He couldn't kill a little boy? It's just astounding... Of all the things to stop him... But how in the name of heaven did Harry survive?"**

"that's what we all want to know" harry said though somewhat muffled as his head was still hidden in his arms Hermione rubbed his arm and Ron put his arm around harrys shoulders

**We can only guess, " said Dumbledore. "We may never know. "Professor McGonagall pulled out a lace handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes beneath her spectacles.**

She did this now hagrid blew his nose

**Dumbledore gave a great sniff as he took a golden watch from his pocket and examined it. It was a very odd watch. It had twelve hands but no numbers; instead, little planets were moving around the edge. It must have made sense to Dumbledore, though, because he put it back in his pocket and said,**

"How is that confusing?" Draco asked without a sneer everyone was confused didn't he always have a sneer

"Muggle watches are different" harry answered as he lifted his head his eyes were somewhat red rimmed

**"Hagrid's late. I suppose it was he who told you I'd be here, by the way?" Yes, " said Professor McGonagall. "And I don't suppose you're going to tell me why you're here, of all places?" I've come to bring Harry to his aunt and uncle. They're the only family he has left now. **

"Wish that wasn't true" harry said

**""You don't mean - you can't mean the people who live here?" cried Professor McGonagall, jumping to her feet and pointing at number four. "Dumbledore - you can't. I've been watching them all day. You couldn't find two people who are less like us. And they've got this son - I saw him kicking his mother all the way up the street, screaming for sweets. Harry Potter come and live here!**

"Unfortunately" harry grinned his friends visibly relaxed

" **It's the best place for him, " said Dumbledore firmly. "His aunt and uncle will be able to explain everything to him when he's older.**

"No hagrid did that" harry said beaming at the friendly giant

**I've written them a letter. ""A letter?" repeated Professor McGonagall faintly, sitting back down on the wall.**

"A LETTER A BLOOMING LETTER YOU REALLY THINK THAT IT WAS POLITE AND CARING TO TELL HER HER SISTER DIED IN A LETTER!" Hermione growled harry and Ron pulled her into her seat

"Calm down mione" they both said

"Mione?' she asked incredulously but she smiled

"its shorter" was all harry and ron would say

**"Really, Dumbledore, you think you can explain all this in a letter? These people will never understand him! He'll be famous - a legend - I wouldn't be surprised if today was known as Harry Potter day in the future**

"Please tell me there isn't" harry pleaded

"I believe fawks accidently burned it" Dumbledore said harry looked immensely relieved

**there will be books written about Harry - every child in our world will know his name!" Exactly, " said Dumbledore, looking very seriously over the top of his half-moon glasses. "It would be enough to turn any boy's head. Famous before he can walk and talk! Famous for something he won't even remember! Can't you see how much better off he'll be, growing up away from all that until he's ready to take it?" Professor McGonagall opened her mouth, changed her mind, swallowed, and then said, "Yes - yes, you're right, of course. But how is the boy getting here, Dumbledore?**

"Why coulnt you have fought more professor" harry groaned

**She eyed his cloak suddenly as though she thought he might be hiding Harry underneath it.**

"I would have been mentally and emotionally scarred forever professor" harry said biting back a laugh the rest of the hall held no such restraint

**"Hagrid's bringing him. ""You think it - wise - to trust Hagrid with something as important as this?" I would trust Hagrid with my life, " said Dumbledore.**

"So would I" the trio said at the exact same much to everyones amusmwent

**"I'm not saying his heart isn't in the right place, " said Professor McGonagall grudgingly, "but you can't pretend he's not careless.**

"Sorry hagrid" she apologized hagrid waved her off

**He does tend to - what was that?" the motorcycle was huge, it was nothing to the man sitting astride it. He was almost twice as tall as a normal man and at least five times as wide.**

"HAGRID!" three fourths of the hall shouted

**In his vast, muscular arms he was holding a bundle of blankets. "Hagrid, " said Dumbledore, sounding relieved. "At last. And where did you get that motorcycle?" Borrowed it, Professor Dumbledore, sit, " said the giant, climbing carefully off the motorcycle as he spoke. "Young Sirius Black lent it to me.**

"And why would he do that if he wanted to off me!" harry asked angrily

**I've got him, sir. He fell asleep as we was flyin' over Bristol.**

"Awww" a bunch of girls chorused

**"Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall bent forward over the bundle of blankets. Inside, just visible, was a baby boy, fast asleep. Under a tuft of jet-black hair over his forehead they could see a curiously shaped cut, like a bolt of lightning. **

The awws intensified much to harrys chagrin

**"Is that where -?" whispered Professor McGonagall. "Yes, " said Dumbledore. "He'll have that scar forever. ""Couldn't you do something about it, Dumbledore?" Even if I could, I wouldn't. Scars can come in handy. I have one myself above my left knee that is a perfect map of the London Underground.**

"TMI!" many people shouted

**Well - give him here, Hagrid - we'd better get this over with. "Dumbledore took Harry in his arms and turned toward the Dursleys' house. " Dumbledore stepped over the low garden wall and walked to the front door. He laid Harry gently on the doorstep, took a letter out of his cloak, tucked it inside Harry's blankets, and then came back to the other two.**

"_**YOU LEFT HIM ON THE FRONT DOORSTEP IN OCTOBER WHAT IF HE WAS KIDNAPPED"**_ the weasley matriarch screamed

**For a full minute the three of them stood and looked at the little bundle; Hagrid's shoulders shook, Professor McGonagall blinked furiously, and the twinkling light that usually shone from Dumbledore's eyes seemed to have gone out. "Well, " said Dumbledore finally, "that's that. We've no business staying here. We may as well go and join the celebrations. ""Yeah, " said Hagrid in a very muffled voice, "I'll be takin' Sirius his bike back. G'night, Professor McGonagall - Professor Dumbledore, sir. "Wiping his streaming eyes on his jacket sleeve, Hagrid swung himself onto the motorcycle and kicked the engine into life; with a roar it rose into the air and off into the night.**

"BYE HAGRID!" a number of children shouted

**"I shall see you soon, I expect, Professor McGonagall, " said Dumbledore, nodding to her. Professor McGonagall blew her nose in reply. Dumbledore turned and walked back down the street. On the corner he stopped and took out the silver Put-Outer. He clicked it once, and twelve balls of light sped back to their street lamps so that Privet Drive glowed suddenly orange and he could make out a tabby cat slinking around the corner at the other end of the street. He could just see the bundle of blankets on the step of number four. "Good luck, Harry, "**

"Ill need it" harry muttered

**he murmured. He turned on his heel and with a swish of his cloak, he was gone. A breeze ruffled the neat hedges of Privet Drive, which lay silent and tidy under the inky sky, the very last place you would expect astonishing things to happen. Harry Potter rolled over inside his blankets without waking up. One small hand closed on the letter beside him and he slept on, not knowing he was special, not knowing he was famous, not knowing he would be woken in a few hours' time by Mrs. Dursley's scream as she opened the front door to put out the milk bottles, nor that he would spend the next few weeks being prodded and pinched by his cousin Dudley... He couldn't know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices: "To Harry Potter - the boy who lived!**

"That's the end of the chapter," Umbridge said disappointed.

"Ill read Dolores," Dumbledore said taking the book his eyes twinkled merrily and he read the name of the chapter in a clear voice," The Vanishing Glass."

**HELLO READERS THANK YOU FOR YOUR REVIEWS THERE IS STILL TIME TO VOTE I WONT BE INCLUDING THE TIME TRAVELERS UNTIL 9 ¾ SO DON'T WORRY AGAIN I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU GUYS LIKE IT WORKING HARD ON THE NEXT CHAPTER**

**IMPERIO YOU ARE UNDER MY IMPERIUS CURSE I COMAND YOU TO REVIEW NOW!**


	4. The Vanishing Glass

HELLO MY FAITHFUL READERS SORRY I WAS AWOL BUT I HAVE VERY EXCITING NEWS NOT ONLY DO I HAVE A NEW CHAPTER I HAVE A NEW BETA READER!

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN GIVE HER A ROUND OF APPLAUSE DevilGal112 SHE HELPED ME EDIT THIS STORY AND MY OTHER STORY YES A NEW KIND OF PROPOSAL IS NOW A SERIES

WITHOUT FURTHER SHKADOO

**PAPER! PEN! DISCLAIMER!**

DISCALIMER WHY WOULD I WRITE THIS IF A OWNED HARRY POTTER WELL I DONT

Now many had buisness to attend to so the order excluding remus, sirius and the weasleys left dumbledore picked up the book

Before Dumbledore could begin there was a loud crack.

A patronus came in. It was a wolf that was completely turquoise and it spoke in a calm voice:

"Hello Hogwarts, I am sending my patronius to speak with you. I am not telling you my name, only that my family and I sent the books. We want to create a better future" The patronus was about to go on when a new voice took . This was a male voice and it was excited.

"Basically what my cuz is trying to say is that we put a truth charm on the books so if the Toad, A.K.A. Umbridge, try's to put anything in she will get an unpleasant surprise and time has stopped, so you can't leave if you stop you have to finish the story. Sorry. Hahaha!" the patronus laughed before disappearing.

"Well, that was odd..." George began,  
"But informal." Fred finished.  
"I can't wait to see Umbridge try to lie." Ron said pointing to said toad. She was Red in the face and kept opening and closing her mouth. It was very funny.  
"Well," Dumbledore said. "shall we get reading?"  
He picked the book back up and cleared his throat.**  
THE VANISHING GLASS  
Nearly ten years had passed since the Dursleys had woken up to find their nephew on the front step, but Privet Drive had hardly changed at all.**

"BO-" The twins sang before the trio interrupted them in perfect unison...  
"THEY'RE BORING WE GET IT!" They screamed at the same time. They then signaled for Dumbledore to keep reading.

**The sun rose on the same tidy front gardens and lit up the brass number four on the Dursleys' front door; it crept into their living room, which was almost exactly the same as it had been on the night when Mr. Dursley had seen that fateful news report about the owls.  
**  
The twins cowered when they got three death glares almost daring the duo to say something but when they didn't Dumbledore read on.  
**  
Only the photographs on the mantelpiece really showed how much time had passed. Ten years ago, there had been lots of pictures of what looked like a large pink beach ball wearing different-colored bonnets-**

The hall broke out in laughs. Even Snape had to hide his twitching lips

**on a carousel at the fair**

"Poor carousel." George said fake pouting.

**playing a computer game with his father, being hugged and kissed by his mother.**

"Wait." Fred said, his eyes worried. "She fit!?"  
"I'm just surprised she didn't die. No doubt he's poisonous." Luna said seriously. Everyone laughed. Who knew she could be so witty? Even Snuffles laughed a very bark like laugh but Snape groaned, thinking about when this would happen to Potter. He didn't want to hear about him being molly-coddled.  
**  
The room held no sign at all that another boy lived in the house, too.**

Snape narrowed his eyes. That didn't make sense, Was he still there?

**Yet Harry Potter was still there, asleep at the moment, but not for long. His Aunt Petunia was awake and it was her shrill voice that made the first noise of the day.  
"Up! Get up! Now!"**

Snape made a noise of disgust as Harry said. "My favorite way to wake up. Listening to Aunt Petunia."

**Harry woke with a start. His aunt rapped on the door again.  
"Up!" she screeched.**

"She's pleasant." Ginny said sarcastically.

**Harry heard her walking toward the kitchen and then the sound of the frying pan being put on the stove.**

"Your bedroom must be really close to kitchen for you to be able to hear that" Neville said. No one but Ron and Hermione noticed that Harry was trying to disappear.

**He rolled onto his back and tried to remember the dream he had been having. It had been a good one. There had been a flying motorcycle in it. He had a funny feeling he'd had the same dream before.**

That was a memory." Draco said without a hint of sarcasm in his voice. What was happening here?

**His aunt was back outside the door.  
"Are you up yet?" she demanded.  
**  
"Give him a chance to get up you horse." Ron said to proud sniffles from the twins.  
"Why Ronnikens, we're so proud. You've become snarky. They said wiping away tears.  
**  
"Nearly," said Harry.  
"Well, get a move on, I want you to look after the bacon. And don't you dare let it burn, I want everything perfect on Duddy's birthday."  
**  
As the twins snickered Mrs. Weasley turned to Harry.  
"They made you cook?" Mrs. Weasley said, her eyes full of worry.  
"Uh...yeah" Harry said shrugging.  
"How long has that been going on?" Remus asked, his eyes glinting.  
"Since I was three or four" Harry said, thinking.  
"Didn't you burn yourself? How'd you reach the stove?" Mrs. Weasley said, beside herself with worry.  
"Yeah, I burned myself a couple of times. Not badly and I had a stool that I stood on till I could see over the stove." Harry said trying to reassure them but both Remus and Mrs. Weasley still looked worried.

**Harry groaned.  
"What did you say?" his aunt snapped through the door.  
**  
"He didn't say anything!" Hermione said her hand twitching towards her wand. Harry wondered what they would do when they found out about his cupboard.  
**  
"Nothing, nothing..."  
Dudley's birthday - how could he have forgotten?**

"Yeah it should have been fun, right Hermione? Asked Harry. He mumbled something unintelligible because he was hiding under the table. Ron and Hermione looked at each other before diving under the table. Everyone waited after five minutes until all three came up, Harry with a chocolate frog wrapper.  
"They had to bribe you?" Fred asked snickering. Harry blushed and nodded. Then he signaled for Dumbledore to read.

**Harry got slowly out of bed and started looking for socks. He found a pair under his bed and, after pulling a spider off one of them, put them on.**

Ron shuddered at spiders.

**Harry was used to spiders,  
**  
"God, stop mentioning them." He mumbled.  
**  
because the cupboard under the stairs was full of them**,

"Why is that relevant?" Someone asked. Harry ignored them and waited for the next sentence.

**and that was where he slept.**

"What!?" Hermione whispered and then all hell broke loose. Everyone was yelling at someone. Everyone except Harry. He was trying to calm down Mrs. Weasley, Remus, Hermione and Ron but they wouldn't hear it.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Hermione asked, brushing at her wet eyes.

"It never came up in conversation" Harry said as Snuffles whined and growled. "Sirius do not get yourself chucked back in Azkaban over this. Control your temper.

Snuffles huffed but still whined. He didn't like the way they were treating his pup.

A similar thought was going through Remus's mind. How dare they treat his cub that way!? Harry may not have been his biologically but he promised Lily and James that he would take care of Harry. Well, he had done a really great job, hadn't he. Harry in a cupboard for a decade.

"When I get my hands on those Dursleys..." Mrs. Weasley muttered. Harry looked at her with alarm.

"Mrs. Weasley, I forbid you to go near the Dursleys. You have seven of your own kids who need you with them and not in Azkaban." He said firmly. She blushed and thought about it. What she wanted to do to those dratted people would certainly get her a life sentence. He was right. Her children needed her.

"Eight. I consider you my son, Harry." She said, gently pulling him into a hug. She certainly would yell at Dumbledore for a while and never ever let Harry near those muggles ever again!

While this was going on Dumbledore was in a similar predicament except everyone shouting at him was furious at him as well.

"YOU PROMISED HE'D BE SAFE! YOU SWORE THEY'D TAKE HIM IN AS THEIR OWN! YEAH TAKE HIM IN AS THEIR OWN MY ***! HE WAS STUCK IN A BROOM CUPBOARD FOR MERLIN'S SAKE! ALL THOSE TIMES I SAID WE SHOULD CHECK ON HIM YOU BRUSHED ME OFF! WELL LOOK AT WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM! I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU WOULD LEAVE HIM LIKE THAT! HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO A CHILD!"" McGonagall shouted, her eyes wet and furious.

She couldn't believe that this had happened to the boy. He was always so selfless. When had she missed this. She now knew one of her lions was being mistreated. What about the rest of them. She surveyed her table. How did she miss this, she thought. A new wave of guilt swept her as she saw the boy in question trying to reassure five different people not to kill those idiotic muggles.

"WHAT THE HELL ALBUS! YOU LEFT HIM WITH THEM! YOU KNEW FROM LILY AND I HOW AWFUL SHE WAS ABOUT MAGIC! BUT DID YOU LISTEN!? NO! YOU JUST LEFT HIM THERE!" Snape yelled. He was practically growling at the headmaster who looked thoroughly guilty at what had happened to the poor boy.

Madam Bones was thunderstruck. All this time she thought potter was in a good home. She had trusted Dumbledore on this and was appalled that he hadn't considered this. Well the Dursleys would be facing charges now. Well, the Department for Mistreated Adolescent Wizards was on the case now.

"PLEASE! CAN WE KEEP READING?!" Umbridge shouted. She was met with death glares from many people, namely eight furious Weasleys but Dumbledore picked up the book. The trio sat closely together, as usual Hermione in the middle but they sent bothered looks to Harry.

"Don't think we're letting this go." They both said and Dumbledore cleared his throat before reading.

**When he was dressed he went down the hall into the kitchen. The table was almost hidden beneath all Dudley's birthday presents.**

"Spoiled Brat." Many said.

**It looked as though Dudley had gotten the new computer he wanted, not to mention the second television and the racing bike**

Professor Burbage sighed. She was going to have at least a full hour of explaining to do.  
**  
Exactly why Dudley wanted a racing bike was a mystery to Harry, as Dudley was very fat and hated exercise**

Laughter rang through the hall.  
**  
unless of course it involved punching somebody.**

"That better not be you." Ginny growled. Snuffles growled as well. Harry was now petting his head in a rhythmic manner. It was soothing him greatly.

**Dudley's favorite punching bag was Harry**

Many growls were heard at this, mostly from the Weasleys, Remus, Snuffles and the professors. Ginny grabbed her wand and started to get up but Harry pulled her down.  
**  
but he couldn't often catch him. Harry didn't look it, but he was very fast. Perhaps it had something to do with living in a dark cupboard,  
**  
Cue the growls.

**but Harry had always been small and skinny for his age.  
**  
Professor McGonagall looked at Harry with a sad but fond smile.  
"I distinctly remember, Mr. Potter, that both your mother an your father were quite short until their sixth year."

Harry groaned. 'Great' He thought, 'I'm going to be a midget for two more years.'  
**  
He looked even smaller and skinnier than he really was because all he had to wear were old clothes of Dudley's**

More growls and Harry strongly suspected the Dursleys would be far more scared of magic by next week. However, Ron frowned. 'How many times have I complained to Harry about being poor? Merlin I must have sounded like a jerk. At least I got my own room and my hand me downs fit.'  
**  
and Dudley was about four times bigger than he was  
**  
"Understatement." Ron coughed. Harry chuckled.  
**  
Harry had a thin face, knobby knees, black hair**

"James." Remus said absent-mindly.  
**  
and bright green eyes**

"Lily." Snape whispered but luckily no one heard him.

**He wore round glasses held together with a lot of Scotch tape because of all the times Dudley had punched him on the nose.**

Ginny was aching for these muggles to feel her bat-bogey hex, even her wand was tingling

**The only thing Harry liked about his own appearance was a very thin scar on his forehead**

"You liked it?" Dean asked. Harry nodded. "I didn't know what it was. Besides, it does look pretty bloody cool, I mean come on, it's a lightning bolt."  
**  
that was shaped like a bolt of lightning.**

"See?" Harry said, as if this proved his point.

**He had had it as long as he could remember, and the first question he could ever remember asking his Aunt Petunia was how he had gotten it.  
"In the car crash when your parents died," she had said.**

"A CAR CRASH!" Many adults shouted. This apparently was to much for Snuffles as he ran out of the room. Harry suspected that he needed to cool off as a human because he came back after ten minutes as a dog.  
**  
"And don't ask questions."**

Many Ravenclaws groaned in dismay but the professors all looked thoughtful. Was this why he didn't ask questions? Except for McGonagall who was filled with grief and guilt she had kept harry after a couple of times to ask if he had any questions but he quickly said no. Why hadn't she seen the signs?

**Don't ask questions - that was the first rule for a quiet life with the Dursleys. Uncle Vernon entered the kitchen as Harry was turning over the bacon. "Comb your hair!" he barked, by way of a morning greeting.**

As the twins were about to say something, Harry silenced them with a glare.

"Not. ." He said through clenched teeth

**About once a week, Uncle Vernon looked over the top of his newspaper and shouted that Harry needed a haircut.**

"Well, that won't work." Remus said ruffling Harry's already messy hair.  
"Oi!" He shouted and fixed his hair but inside he felt happy at the affectionate gesture.

**Harry must have had more haircuts than the rest of the boys in his class put together, but it made no difference, his hair simply grew that way - all over the place**.

"James called it 'THE POTTER CURSE'" Remus said in a mysterious voice.  
**  
Harry was frying eggs by the time Dudley arrived in the kitchen with his mother. Dudley looked a lot like Uncle Vernon. He had a large pink face, not much neck, small, watery blue eyes, and thick blond hair that lay smoothly on his thick, fat head. Aunt Petunia often said that Dudley looked like a baby angel –**

Many scoffed at that.

**- Harry often said that Dudley looked like a pig in a wig.  
**

Laughter rang through the hall. The twins were shocked.  
"You know sarcasm!?" They spluttered.  
Harry shot them a mischievous smile and they swore they would get him to prank with them.

**Harry put the plates of egg and bacon on the table, which was difficult as there wasn't much room. Dudley, meanwhile, was counting his presents. His face fell.  
**  
"Aw, did you only get 38?" Luna said in fake sympathy.  
**  
"Thirty-six," he said, looking up at his mother and father. "That's two less than last year."  
**  
"Merlin. Even I don't get that many." Draco said, swearing to write his parents and tell them he only wanted a couple presents that year.

**"Darling, you haven't counted Auntie Marge's present, see, it's here under this big one from Mommy and Daddy."  
**  
"How old is this kid?" Collin Creavey asked in a low voice.  
"It was his eleventh birthday." Harry said and many people had to restrain laughs.  
**  
"All right, thirty-seven then," said Dudley, going red in the face.  
Harry, who could see a huge Dudley tantrum coming on, began wolfing down his bacon as fast as possible in case Dudley turned the table over.**

"A regular occurrence." Luna grimaced. The look did not suit her normally dreamy happy face. Harry nodded, then laughed at a thought. "What?" She asked.  
"I was just thinking about how he once turned over the cafeteria table at school." He said. They both chuckled and her face lifted back into her dreamy grin. "Harry, you have nargles in your ears. I suggest you try and get them out. They make you laugh uncontrollably if you don't."

**Aunt Petunia obviously scented danger, too, because she said quickly, "And we'll buy you another two presents while we're out today. How's that, popkin? Two more presents. Is that all right''  
**  
"That is not the way you raise a child." Madam Pomfrey chided. Many females in the room agreed.

**Dudley thought for a moment. It looked like hard work. Finally he said slowly, "So I'll have thirty ... thirty..."**

"Merlin's pants, the kid can't even count!" Some Ravenclaws actually fainted at

that.  
**  
"Thirty-nine, sweetums," said Aunt Petunia.  
"Oh." Dudley sat down heavily and grabbed the nearest parcel. "All right then."  
Uncle Vernon chuckled. "Little tyke wants his money's worth, just like his father. 'Atta boy, Dudley!" He ruffled Dudley's hair.**

"Not the way he should be raised." This came from Madam Hooch and Madam Pomfrey agreed as well.  
**  
At that moment the telephone rang and Aunt Petunia went to answer it while Harry and Uncle Vernon watched Dudley unwrap the racing bike, a video camera, a remote control airplane, sixteen new computer games, and a VCR  
**  
Professor Burbage inwardly sighed. Now her class would be three hours long. She cleared her throat. "In light of the recent events in the book, I will be hosting my class at the end of each book."

**He was ripping the paper off a gold wristwatch when Aunt Petunia came back from the telephone looking both angry and worried.**

"Uh oh." George said.  
"What did Harry do now?" Asked Fred

**"Bad news, Vernon," she said. "Mrs. Figg's broken her leg. She can't take him." She jerked her head in Harry's direction.**

"He has a name." The Weasley Matriarch said through clenched teeth. 'Oooh what she would give to be allowed to off these horrid people' thought Mrs. Weasley.

**Dudley's mouth fell open in horror, but Harry's heart gave a leap.**

"Your body parts do really weird things, Harry. It must be the blibbering humdingers." Luna said in her dreamy voice. Everyone who knew her was relieved, this was the Luna they knew and loved.  
**  
Every year on Dudley's birthday, his parents took him and a friend out for the day, to adventure parks, hamburger restaurants, or the movies.**

"I'm guessing you didn't go." Hermione said, her fingers tracing lines in her wand.  
Harry laughed. "What do you think?"  
"No cursing the Dursleys until the end of these books, you know that." Ron scolded. All three laughed.

Many were surprised. 'Was this how the Golden Trio always acted? Like normal teens?' They all thought. 'All these three kids did was save the world.'  
**  
Every year, Harry was left behind with Mrs. Figg, a mad old lady who lived two streets away. Harry hated it there. The whole house smelled of cabbage and. Mrs. Figg made him look at photographs of all the cats she'd ever owned.**

"Harry." Hermione scolded.  
"What? I was eleven." Harry defended himself.  
**  
"Now what?" said Aunt Petunia, looking furiously at Harry as though  
he'd planned this. She looked like she was about to smack him.  
**  
"Yes. Its my life's ambition to make you miserable, one outing at a time." Harry said, wincing a little at the word smack. This did not go unnoticed by Ron and Hermione, who ducked under the table with Harry. They put silencing charms around themselves.  
"Okay, Harry. We need to know, did the Dursleys ever physically abuse you?" Hermione asked, praying the answer would be no. Harry didn't answer for a long time, finally he nodded.

It was that one simple gesture that rocked Hermione to her _core._ Her best friend, no her brother, was being hurt and he had never told anyone. She felt her eyes burn and she hugged Harry hard, trying to make everything that was bad go away.  
Ron was having a similar reaction. He always complained about having a big family when Harry's family hit him. At least his family loved him. All those times when he complained to Harry about his brothers. Ron felt a huge wave of guilt wash over him. He felt like such a prat. He told himself to stop complaining about his family and love them for the way they were. When Hermione hugged Harry, he joined in.  
They sat there hugging for a while until Hermione came to her senses and they got up. She had anger at the Dursleys, too though, so Harry made three dummies hang from the ceiling and she began throwing every curse she knew and that was legal at them. It made her feel immensely better. After a minute Ron joined her.

**Harry knew he ought to feel sorry that Mrs. Figg had broken her leg, but it wasn't easy when he reminded himself it would be a whole year before he had to look at Nibbles, Snowy, Mr. Paws, and Tufty again.**

Mrs. Weasley frowned but wondered 'What had those kids discussed?'  
**  
"We could phone Marge," Uncle Vernon suggested.  
"Don't be silly, Vernon, she hates the boy."**

"Feelings mutual." Harry mumbled darkly. Ron's face broke into a huge grin.  
"Was she the one-?" He asked. Harry snickered and nodded. The trio began full on laughing at the curse Hermione had just sent. The Dudley dummy was turning into a giant balloon. It took several minutes to control themselves.  
**  
The Dursleys often spoke about Harry like this, as though he wasn't there - or rather, as though he was something very nasty that couldn't understand them, like a slug.**

"Your dad wouldn't like that, he hated slugs." Remus said. Looking at their faces he decided to elaborate. "Prank gone wrong, horribly wrong."  
**  
"What about what's-her-name, your friend - Yvonne?"  
"On vacation in Majorca," snapped Aunt Petunia.  
"You could just leave me here," Harry put in hopefully (he'd be able to watch what he wanted on television for a change and maybe even have a go on Dudley's computer).**

The twins looked at Harry, tsking him.  
"Harry, Harry, Harry. That would allow you to have fun." They said in a teachers voice.

**Aunt Petunia looked as though she'd just swallowed a lemon.  
"And come back and find the house in ruins?" she snarled.**

"He wouldn't blow up the house." Ginny snarled and shot a curse at the dummies and Harry patted himself on the back for that idea.  
**  
"I won't blow up the house," said Harry, but they weren't listening.**

"Okay, first off Gin-gin thinks like Harry," Fred began.  
"Second, why on earth would they listen to you?" George finished.  
**  
"I suppose we could take him to the zoo," said Aunt Petunia slowly, "...and leave him in the car..."  
**

"LEAVE YOU IN THE CAR!" McGonagall shouted. She personally shot thousands of curses at the dummies.  
"You're not a dog!" Luna yelled.  
"That's illegal!" Hermione hissed. "Have they done that before?"  
Harry nodded and Madam Pomfrey grabbed some parchment and a self-writing quill on the top of the page she wrote injuries of Harry Potter and she put down dehydration and heat shock.

**"That car's new; he's not sitting in it alone..."**

"YES! BECAUSE THE CARS IMPORTANT!" Mrs. Weasley shouted but her anger was directed at Dumbledore. "He is never going back to those people." She said. Dumbledore tried to protest.  
"Molly, please you have to see my side of things."  
"No." She said and he fell silent. "I swear if you even think about bringing him to those god awful people, I will hex you myself. They are not nor will they ever be fit to be Harry's guardians. You should have put him with anyone but them." She said before sitting back down her face set in an angry glare at Dumbledore, who simply sighed and began reading again. No one had yet to realize the twins had been putting silencing charms on Umbridge. They were snickering until they saw a blue flash of light hit Umbridge. Luna was shooting silencing spells as well. They hugged her from both sides until she said their nargles were falling on her.

**Dudley began to cry loudly. In fact, he wasn't really crying - it had been years since he'd really cried - but he knew that if he screwed up his face and wailed, his mother would give him anything he wanted.  
**  
"Ok, I don't think we even need to address he's spoiled." Harry said rolling his eyes as people from all four houses opened their mouth. Dumbledore had a thought 'Even though this was such an invasion of privacy these books were doing the one thing he could never do, unite the houses.'

**"Dinky Duddydums,  
**  
Many people snorted and everyone was trying to hold in or hide their laughter. The twins shot puppy dog eyes at Harry, almost begging to laugh. Harry responded by cracking up, and that set everyone off. Umbridges silencing charms wore off.  
"SHUT UP!" She shrieked and a bunch of kids from all the houses hit her with silencing charms. None of the professors noticed, or that's what they told Umbridge when she asked.

**don't cry, Mummy won't let him spoil your special day!" she cried, flinging her arms around him.  
"I... don't... want... him... t-t-to come!" Dudley yelled between huge,  
pretend sobs. "He always sp-spoils everything!"  
**  
"Again my life's ambition." Harry said sarcastically. He seemed better since he told Hermione and Ron about what happened, it was like a huge weight was off his shoulders. They were happy about this and sat together.

**He shot Harry a nasty grin through the gap in his mother's arms.  
**  
"Okay. Was anyone surprised?" Luna asked. When no one answered Draco looked at her funnily.  
"Why would we be surprised?" He asked.  
"I was testing to see if anyone was stupid." Luna said Neville laughed lightly. She grinned at him, he was always very nice to her.

**Just then, the doorbell rang - "Oh, good Lord, they're here!"**

"Who's here?" Denis Creavey asked. Some first and second years looked at the door. The trio looked at each other 'Had they been this stupid as tweens?'

**said Aunt Petunia frantically-and a moment later, Dudley's best friend, Piers Polkiss, walked in with his mother. Piers was a scrawny boy with a face like a rat**

Snuffles growled at the rat part and Harry began playing with his ears. Snuffles yipped at him and he chuckled

**He was usually the one who held people's arms behind their backs while Dudley hit them. Dudley stopped pretending to cry at once.  
**  
'If you can't cry in front of your friends, who can you cry in front of?' Hermione thought. She certainly had cried in front of Ron and Harry tons of times.  
**  
Half an hour later, Harry, who couldn't believe his luck, was sitting in the back of the Dursleys' car with Piers and Dudley, on the way to the zoo for the first time in his life.  
**  
"We all took you to the zoo for your first birthday. Would you like to see the pictures?" Remus asked. Harry nodded and smiled.

**His aunt and uncle hadn't been able to think of anything else to do with him, but before they'd left, Uncle Vernon had taken Harry aside.  
"I'm warning you," he had said, putting his large purple face right up close to Harry's  
**  
"Ewww." many girls said.

"**I'm warning you now, boy - any funny business, anything at all - and you'll be in that cupboard from now until Christmas."**

"He better not have followed through with that." Remus said and he felt his wolf instincts acting up.  
**  
"I'm not going to do anything," said Harry, "honestly... But Uncle Vernon didn't believe him. No one ever did.  
**

"Again, why would they believe you?" The twins chorused.  
**  
The problem was, strange things often happened around Harry and it was just no good telling the Dursleys he didn't make them happen.**

"That's because you did make them happen, Harry." Neville said jokingly. "Accidental magic."

**Once, Aunt Petunia, tired of Harry coming back from the barbers looking as though he hadn't been at all, had taken a pair of kitchen scissors and cut his hair so short he was almost bald except for his bangs, which she left "to hide that horrible scar."  
**  
"Oh dear." Hermione said, as many people were either smirking or looked horrified.  
**  
Dudley had laughed himself silly at Harry, who spent a sleepless night imagining school the next day, where he was already laughed at for his baggy clothes and taped glasses.**

"That's not nice at all." Luna said. She heard someone mutter muggles and frowned. She felt her anger rise and explode. "WE'RE NO BETTER. WE TEASE EACH OTHER ALL THE TIME. SOME FOR NO GOOD REASON OTHER THAN THEIR A LITTLE DIFFERENT!"  
Anyone who had bullied her looked down, ashamed. They were no better than those muggles.  
Neville nodded curtly and glared at the Slytherins.

**Next morning, however, he had gotten up to find his hair exactly as it had been before Aunt Petunia had sheared it off  
**  
"Yea!" the twins cheered, and some laughed at their craziness.  
**  
He had been given a week in his cupboard for this,**

The laughter was abruptly replaced with murderous glares. Harry was glad he wasn't the one reading this chapter.

**even though he had tried to explain that he couldn't explain how it had grown back so quickly.  
Another time, Aunt Petunia had been trying to force him into a revolting old sweater of Dudley's (brown with orange puff balls)  
**  
Lavender actually fainted when she heard this. McGonagall sighed and conjured a pillow under her head.

**The harder she tried to pull it over his head, the smaller it seemed to become, until finally it might have fitted a hand puppet, but certainly wouldn't fit Harry. Aunt Petunia had decided it must have shrunk in the wash and, to his great relief, Harry wasn't punished.**

Mrs. Weasley felt her heart ache for her surrogate son. He shouldn't have to worry about being punished at all.

**On the other hand, he'd gotten into terrible trouble for being found on the roof of the school kitchens.**

"Did he..?" Hermione asked.  
Harry nodded at the unfinished question and everyone was confused when Hermione looked like she was about to cry .

**Dudley's gang had been chasing him as usual when, as much to Harry's surprise as anyone else's, there he was sitting on the chimney. The Dursleys had received a very angry letter from Harry's headmistress telling them Harry had been climbing school buildings. But all he'd tried to do (as he shouted at Uncle Vernon through the locked door of his cupboard) was jump behind the big trash cans outside the kitchen doors. Harry supposed that the wind must have caught him in mid- jump.**

"Harry." The twins said, clutching their hearts. "Please tell us you've gotten better at lying."  
Harry managed a false sheepish look and the twins started talking about lessons in the art of lying. Finally, Dumbledore just began reading over them.

**But today, nothing was going to go wrong.  
**  
"You jinxed it." someone called out.

**It was even worth being with Dudley and Piers to be spending the day somewhere that wasn't school, his cupboard, or Mrs. Figg's cabbage-smelling living room.  
**  
Harry ignored the sympathetic and pitying looks he was getting by petting Snuffles. It really took his mind off of everything.

**While he drove, Uncle Vernon complained to Aunt Petunia. He liked to complain about things: people at work, Harry, the council, Harry, the bank, and**

"**Harry**." the twins chorused along with Dumbledore.  
**  
were just a few of his favorite subjects. This morning, it was motorcycles. "... roaring along like maniacs, the young hoodlums," he said, as a motorcycle overtook them. I had a dream about a motorcycle," said Harry, remembering suddenly. "It was flying**."

Many people face palmed at Harry's tactlessness. Snape smiled. "And there inlays the Gryffindor bravery we all know and love." the twins gasped. "Professor, did you just make a joke?"  
"Well, I guess I did ."Snape sneered, before signaling Dumbledore to read.

**Uncle Vernon nearly crashed into the car in front. He turned right around in his seat and yelled at Harry, his face like a gigantic beet**

"Nargles, Harry. You really ought to get that checked out." Luna said, shaking her blonde head. Neville looked at him poignantly and Harry did not snicker. Neville wasn't quite sure what it was about this odd fourth year that he liked so immensely but he felt pulled to her and didn't want anyone laughing at her.  
**  
with a mustache: "MOTORCYCLES DON'T FLY!"**

"YES THEY DO!" Most of the hall shouted. Harry uncovered snuffles ears who whined in thanks.

**Dudley and Piers sniggered.  
"I know they don't," said Harry. "It was only a dream."  
But he wished he hadn't said anything. If there was one thing the Dursleys hated even more than his asking questions, it was his talking about anything acting in a way it shouldn't, no matter if it was in a dream or even a cartoon**

"Cartoon?" George asked. Both twins clutched their hearts and gasped . "Mummy." Fred said in a hurt voice. "Were you hiding us from these cartoons? Why would you do that? Because now we will be watching them." George finished. Both gave loud sniffs and motioned to Dumbledore.

**they seemed to think he might get dangerous ideas.  
It was a very sunny Saturday and the zoo was crowded with families. They bought Dudley and Piers large chocolate ice creams**

"Let me guess, you didn't get one." Ginny said. Harry rolled his eyes. "What do you think, Gin?"  
**  
Because the lady behind the counter asked Harry what he wanted before they could hurry him away, they bought him a cheap lemon ice pop.**

"Lily loved those." Remus said absentmindedly. "Oh, I always wondered why I liked those so much. Everyone hates them." Harry said with a grin. He was always told the same thing 'You look like your dad and have your moms eyes, blah blah blah.' It was nice hearing something else for a change.

**It wasn't bad, either, Harry thought, licking it as they watched a gorilla scratching its head who looked remarkably like Dudley, except that it wasn't blond.**

"Harry!" Luna scolded "don't insult gorillas like that!" Everyone chuckled.

**Harry had the best morning he'd had in a long time. He was careful to walk a little way apart from the Dursleys so that Dudley and Piers, who were starting to get bored with the animals by lunchtime, wouldn't fall back on their favorite hobby of hitting him. **

All you could hear was growls. Someone had cursed yet another dursleys dummy into oblivion. That made the count to sixty four.

**They ate in the zoo restaurant, and when Dudley had a tantrum because his knickerbockers glory didn't have enough ice cream on top, Uncle Vernon bought him another one and Harry was allowed to finish the first. **

"How generous," Ron said "bloody hell Harry how'd you manage to not kill them all these years?" Harry shrugged.

**Harry felt, afterward, that he should have known it was all too good to last.**

"Oh no," Hermione mumbled.

**After lunch they went to the reptile house. It was cool and dark in there, with lit windows all along the walls. **

"So you converse with a snake I see..." Ron chuckled. Harry snickered while nodding.

**Behind the glass, all sorts of lizards and snakes were crawling and slithering over bits of wood and stone. **

Many people shuddered mostly girls.

**Dudley and Piers wanted to see huge, poisonous cobras and thick, man-crushing pythons. Dudley quickly found the largest snake in the place. **

"Course he did" Ginny said.

**It could have wrapped its body twice around Uncle Vernon's car and **crushed it into a trash can - but at the moment it didn't look in the mood

"Yeah it wanted to see if it could wrap itself around you," Draco said and to his surprise many people laughed even some Gryffindor.

**In fact, it was fast asleep. Dudley stood with his nose pressed against the glass, **

"That made him look more like a pig," Harry mumbled.

**staring at the glistening brown coils.**

**"Make it move," he whined at his father. Uncle Vernon tapped on the glass, but the snake didn't budge. **

"Aren't there do not tap the glass signs?" Hermione said. Harry laughed grimly and turned to Hermione.

"Even if there were Mione do you think they'd listen?" he asked.

"OK WHO CAME UP WITH THIS MIONE NICKNAME!" she shouted glaring.

**"Do it again," Dudley ordered. Uncle Vernon rapped the glass smartly with his knuckles, but the snake just snoozed on.**

"That's probably the only thing he has ever done smartly," Padma Patil said sniffly.

**"This is boring," Dudley moaned. He shuffled away. Harry moved in front of the tank and looked intently at the snake. He wouldn't have been surprised if it had died of boredom itself - no company except stupid people drumming their fingers on the glass trying to disturb it all day long. It was worse than having a cupboard as a bedroom, where the only visitor was Aunt Petunia hammering on the door to wake you up; at least he got to visit the rest of the house.**

"Did you just compare yourself to a snake mate?" Ron asked. Harry shrugged and looked at the snickering people.

"Why would you do that?" Neville asked not in a mean way but in an interested way.

"Because it was the first thing that had looked at me with out sneering or making a face," Harry said evenly. The snickerers quieted and they kept their heads down.

**The snake suddenly opened its beady eyes. Slowly, very slowly, it raised its head until its eyes were on a level with Harry's. It winked.**

"Snakes can't wink," A number of Ravenclaws and Hermione said. Harry rolled his eyes.

"I know that that's why it confused me so much."

**Harry stared. Then he looked quickly around to see if anyone was watching. They weren't**. He looked back at the snake and winked, too.

"Only you potter," Snape said "Only you."

**The snake jerked its head toward Uncle Vernon and Dudley, then raised its eyes to the ceiling. It gave Harry a look that said quite plainly: "I get that all the time.**

"He probably did," Harry murmured but the twins and Remus looked at him.

"Did?" Remus asked finally.

Harry looked down blushing, "you'll see..."

**"I know," Harry murmured through the glass, though he wasn't sure the snake could hear him. "It must be really annoying."**

It would be Ginny thought.

**The snake nodded vigorously.**

**"Where do you come from, anyway?" Harry asked. The snake jabbed its tail at a little sign next to the glass. Harry**

**peered at it. Boa Constrictor, Brazil.**

**"Was it nice there?"**

"Your having a whole conversation with this snake and you don't even question it?" Draco asked staring at him incredulously.

"I was used to weird things happening," Harry shrugged.

**The boa constrictor jabbed its tail at the sign again and Harry read on: This specimen was bred in the zoo. "Oh, I see - so you've never been to**

**Brazil?" As the snake shook its head, a deafening shout behind Harry made both of them jump.**

**"DUDLEY! MR. DURSLEY! COME AND LOOK AT THIS SNAKE! YOU WON'T** **BELIEVE WHAT IT'S DOING!"**

Now everyone jumped seeing as Dumbledore boomed this in his loud voice. The twins were so shocked the charm wore off again. Umbridge looked sweetly at Harry.

"Why your a parsletounge that proves your a dark wizard," she said with glee. Dumbledore cleared his throat.

"Harry may be a parsletounge but being able to talk to snakes should not decide what or who you are."

Harry had his head hidden in his arms. Remus and Sirius hated him now he knew it but to his surprise he felt an arm on his shoulder.

"Harry don't think that anything this book says changes the way we feel about you not a bit," Remus said Harry felt immensely relieved and snuffles put a paw on his knee indicating the same.

**Dudley came waddling toward them as fast as he could.**

**"Out of the way, you," he said, punching Harry in the ribs.**

"OI!" there was a loud yell and snuffles growled deep and low how dare he touch his pup!

**Caught by surprise, Harry fell hard on the concrete floor. **

Madam Pomfrey added possible rib injury onto her list.

**What came next happened so fast no one saw how it happened - one second, Piers and Dudley were leaning right up close to the glass, the next, they had leapt back with howls of horror.**

"What'd ya do what'd ya do.." the twins repeated Harry simply winked at them and laughed.

**Harry sat up and gasped; the glass front of the boa constrictor's tank had vanished**.

"That's very powerful magic Mr. potter why do you have such a hard time with vanishing during class?" McGonagall asked.

"I dunno," Harry said thinking "I guess I just triggered my magic or something."

**The great snake was uncoiling itself rapidly, slithering out onto the floor. People throughout the reptile house screamed and started running for the exits. **

"Cowards," someone hissed and Susan bones spoke up

"How would you feel your at the zoo with your children and a huge snake is coming towards you? I don't know about you but I'd grab my kids and book it out of that place as fast as I could." people looked thoughtful at her mini speech.

**As the snake slid swiftly past him, Harry could have sworn a low, hissing voice said, "Brazil, here I come... Thanksss, amigo."**

"Ha-ha at least he had manners,"

Hermione said and every one cracked up at that.

**The keeper of the reptile house was in shock.**

**"But the glass," he kept saying, "where did the glass go?"**

"It vanished..." Fred said with awe.

"Like magic." George finished.

**The zoo director himself made Aunt Petunia a cup of strong, sweet tea while he apologized over and over again. Piers and Dudley could only gibber**

"Hmm the nargles seemed to have moved onto them your in the clear Harry," Luna said thoughtfully looking in his now burning ears and she sat down next to Neville but still near the twins.

**As far as Harry had seen, the snake hadn't done anything except snap playfully at their heels as it passed, but by the time they were all back in Uncle Vernon's car, Dudley was telling them how it had nearly bitten off his leg, while Piers was swearing it had tried to squeeze him to death.**

"Drama queens," Dean sang.

**But worst of all, for Harry at least, was Piers calming down enough to say, "Harry was talking to it, weren't you, Harry?**

"YOU FU-!" Ginny roared Fred cast a silencing charm on her and she ranted and raved silently. Finally she collapsed into her seat but everyone looked murderous.

Hermione and Ron quickly cast a silencing charm around themselves and Harry.

"They hit you a lot," Hermione said "didn't they"

"Define a lot," harry said looking down and her heart ached.

"That means yes," Ron said glumly, "can we have permission to hex the Dursleys into infinity when this is over?"

"Sure!" Harry replied instantly "but lets see who's going you guys Remus Sirius the other Weasleys Luna she looked murderous McGonagall yeah I'll be surprised if they're alive by the end of this mess," Harry said.

"It's good we're reading this Harry I don't want you to get hurt anymore," Hermione said putting one arm around Harry the other around Ron Ron and Harry snorted.

"No just a really powerful wizard trying to off him." Ron said.

"Not to mention his blood hungry minions." Harry joked she ruffled their hair and lifted the charm.

"OI!" Hermione Ron said fixing his hair.

"As if my hair wasn't bad enough" Harry moaned.

**Uncle Vernon waited until Piers was safely out of the house before starting on Harry. He was so angry he could hardly speak. He managed to say, "Go - cupboard - stay - no meals," **

"NO MEALS THEY WERE FREAKING STARVING HIM!" McGonagall shouted at Dumbledore again till she was Silent. madam Pomfrey spoke to Dumbledore in harsh quiet whispers and finally he cleared his throat, "After this chapter we will be going to bed any adults who wish to speak to me will find me in my office a half hour from now also here's a snack to tide you over" he gave everyone a pack of droobles gum the adults realized this was the password.

**Before he collapsed into a chair, and Aunt Petunia had to run and get him a large brandy. **

"Drinking in front if children…" professor sprout tutted.

**Harry lay in his dark cupboard much later, wishing he had a watch.**

The adults all felt sad that he associated the cupboard as his. They all felt angry at someone. Sirius and Remus were angry at Voldemort why couldn't he have chosen any other family why did it have to be Lilly and James. Te professors were mad at Dumbledore why had he left Harry with these horrid people? Mrs. Weasley was mad at the Dursleys but she would keep her promise to Harry and not do anything rash her daughter however would not be so accounted for.

**He didn't know what time it was and he couldn't be sure the Dursleys were asleep yet. Until they were, he couldn't risk sneaking to the kitchen for some food.**

Again the adults were sad. Why should a child have to sneak around in their own house to get food madam Pomfrey added starvation and malnourishment to her list.

**He'd lived with the Dursleys almost ten years, ten miserable years, as long as he could remember, ever since he'd been a baby and his parents had died in that car crash.**

Many people snarled they didn't die in a car crash Lilly and James had died heroes saving their son.

**He couldn't remember being in the car when his parents had died. Sometimes, when he strained his memory during long hours in his cupboard, he came up with a strange vision: a blinding flash of green light and a burning pain on his forehead. **

"You remember that?" Mrs. Weasley said in a low voice.

"More now," Harry said thinking of the dementors and shivering.

**This, he supposed, was the crash, though he couldn't imagine where all the green light came from. He couldn't remember his parents at all. His aunt and uncle never spoke about them, and of course he was forbidden to ask questions. There were no photographs of them in the house.**

"I have photographs now," Harry said his eyes trailing to Hagrid empty seat and missing his big friend.

**When he had been younger, Harry had dreamed and dreamed of some unknown relation coming to take him away,**

Snuffles whined if only he hadn't gone after Pettigrew. Remus felt bad he had wanted to visit Harry to take him away. but Dumbledore had refused after all he couldn't legally be a guardian only a second guardian he turned to glare at the headmaster.

"Did you know?" he asked quietly.

"Did I know what Remus," Dumbledore asked putting the book down.

Remus felt his inner wolf rise up again.

"Did you know they were doing this to harry?" he said fighting to keep from shouting.

"No if I had known harry would have been placed in yours or someone else's custody," Dumbledore said before picking up the book.

**but it had never happened; the Dursleys were his only family. Yet sometimes he thought (or maybe hoped) that strangers in the street seemed to know him. Very strange strangers they were, too**

"The blood wards should have kept him from seeing all wizards Dumbledore," snape said, "there must be a malfunction"

"Yes they would have kept the dementors from finding harry"

"So your telling me this whole time I had to stay with the Dursleys was for nothing that the stupid shield thing didn't work in the first place?" harry said then he groaned "figures."

**A tiny man in a violet top hat had bowed to him once while out shopping with Aunt Petunia and Dudley. After asking Harry furiously if he knew the man, Aunt Petunia had rushed them out of the shop without buying anything. A wild-looking old woman dressed all in green had waved merrily at him once on a bus. A bald man in a very long purple coat had actually shaken his hand in the street the other day and then walked away without a word. The weirdest thing about all these people was the way they seemed to vanish the second Harry tried to get a closer look**

"Well that's rude," Mrs. Weasley said.

**At school, Harry had no one. Everybody knew that Dudley's gang hated that odd Harry Potter in his baggy old clothes and broken glasses, and nobody liked to disagree with Dudley's gang.**

"I'd like too Ginny mumbled darkly

"That's the end of the chapter Mr. potter if you would come with us to the hospital wing Mr. Weasley and ms granger may attend with you seeing as they probably know everything," Dumbledore said. Harry nodded and went with Ron and Hermione to the hospital wing snuffles and Remus trailing after.

Umbridge was fuming she had not gotten any dirt on potter all that had happened was he received sympathy. Honestly she thought they had the right drift. Knock some sense into the boy as she strode out of the hall she did not know of the children watching her. This was expected seeing as they were wearing invisibility cloaks and not speaking a word.

"Merlin what a toad," One of them muttered before falling silent and waiting for everyone to get back.

**HELLO READERS THANK YOU FOR REVIEWS MY LOVELIES THEY ROCK STILL TIME TO VOTE AND YOU GOT A GLIMPSE OF THE TIMETRAVELERS**

**WATCH OUT FOR THE BLIBERING HUMDINGERS**

**Andie **


	5. A new life

Okay begins a little dark but ends very happy i loved writing the ending for you lovelies so its time to actually read!

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Harry trudged unhappily with his friends to the hospital wing. He had meant to make a dash to his dormitory and put on the invisibility cloak but Hermione and Ron cornered him.

"Oh no Harry James potter you go to the hospital wing now!" Hermione ordered.

"And If I don't?" Harry asked. Ron sighed.

"Didn't want it to come to this mate we will coming with you and staying with you now so you don't sneak away like you probably would have," Ron said as they towed him to the wing.

"Ok I'll come on one condition you don't freak out when you find out how much has gone on," Harry said.

"Fine." Hermione said and they went to the hospital wing.

"Oh there you are!" madam pompfrey said, "I want you to lie down over on that bed alright I'll be over in a second."

"Joy," Harry muttered sarcastically under his breath.

He sat cross-legged on the bed with Ron and Hermione. They were wondering aloud on what was going on in Dumbledores office.

Meanwhile in said office...

The adults had all filed in it was Remus, Mr and Mrs Weasley, Professors Mcgonagall and Snape, and a big black dog which immediately transformed into a very angry very horrifying Sirius Black.

"WHAT THE FUCKING HELL ALBUS!" Sirius roared. Before anyone had a chance to say anything they remained silent and allowed him to rant first. "YOU LEFT MY GODSON WITH ABUSIVE UNDER QUALIFIED TWATS AND NEVER BOTHERED TO CHECK ON HIM I SWEAR TO MERLIN IF I HAD NOT PROMISED HARRY THEY WOULD BE DEAD! HOW COULD YOU LEAVE HIM WITH THEM!" Sirius accused.

"I trust you I had a perfectly good reason," Dumbledore said then Mrs. Weasley blew her stack.

"YES THESE SUPPOSED BLOOD WARDS WHICH BY A FUNNY COINCIDENCE DON'T WORK!" She shrieked in a tone which implied she found nothing about this situation funny, "ANSWER SIRIUSS QUESTION WHY DID YOU NOT HAVE HIM CHECKED ON ?!"

"Because I thought it would confuse him to much he was too young in my eyes," Dumbledore said. Mcgonagall and snape couldn't hold it in any longer.

"YEAH TOO YOUNG BUT HE WASN'T TOO YOUNG TO BE SHOVED IN A CUPBOARD FOR A DECADE NOW WAS HE!" Mcgonagall screamed snape kept his voice down.

"I thought you had changed Dumbledore. I thought you finally had an inkling of when a child was being hurt, but no he got the same,no, harry got worse treatment than I did as a child. I've seen his memories and they're pretty bad. I wanted Lilly's kid protected not hurt. I may have hated his father but I never hated Lilly." Snape said before walking out of the office.

Remus and mr Weasley had finally calmed Sirius and mrs Weasley down and Sirius took a deep breath.

"He's not going back," he stated simply.

"The wards-" Dumbledore began but Sirius cut him off.

"No dumbledore n.o Don't argue with me he's not going back." Sirius said in a powerful voice "I was absent from his life for thirteen years and haven't protected him for the last year but I'm stepping up now he is never going back to that house."

"And," Remus added "I will be making sure they are punished to the full extent of the law."

"Dumbledore," Remus said in a tired voice as dumbledore opened his mouth "You have no say in this. I would trust you with my life but I'm not trusting you with Harry's anymore. You lost the right to chose Harry's future when you put him in an abusive home."

With that Remus got up and turned to his best friend.

"C'mon let's go talk to Harry. Molly Arthur?" Remus said turning to said couple "I don't know about you but I want to take custody of Harry we should talk about this later."

Sirius transformed and they went to the hospital wing. They saw the trio and walked over.

"Hey Harry," Remus said tentatively. Ron and Hermione excused themselves for a moment and drew the curtains around Harry Remus and Snuffles.

As soon as the curtain was drawn snuffles transformed back into Sirius who sat on the bed with Harry. Finally he sighed,

"I'm so sorry Harry," Sirius said his voice laced with guilt and anguish.

"Sirius I'm fi-," Harry began, but Sirius cut him off.

"Harry you can lie to everyone else but not me, you aren't fine it's obvious look it's okay to not be ok sometimes." Sirius said Harry looked down his eyes burning.

"I know," he murmered softly and Sirius hugged him.

In that second everything caught up to Harry and he started sobbing. Sirius held him and murmered soothingly to him. Finally they broke apart and as Harry was rubbing his red eyes Sirius felt his previous guilt return.

"I'm sorry Harry," he said

Whatever Harry had been expecting it hadnt been that he looked up in confusion.

"Why are you sorry Sirius?" Harry asked confused.

"I should have been a better godfather. Firstly I shouldn't have gone after Pettigrew. Secondly I should have talked to you about your home life while you were at grimmauld place. I was to caught up with my hatred for that house to even ask. I have been a pretty horrible godfather and you deserve better," Sirius confessed looking at his godson.

The boy looked so much like James. Then his eyes hit you like a wave. They were so green just like Lilly's. Harry felt empathy for his godfather and let out a soft breath.

"Sirius the past is the past we can't change it. We can only learn from it. On the subject of pettigrew I understand completely. You had just found out that two of your best friends had been brutally murdered and knew who caused it. You wanted revenge. Also stop beating yourself up about this. Your an amazing godfather. You have every right to hate that house and we can change everything now. Since we're reading these books everyone will know your innocent. I can live with you and you won't have to live in grimmauld place anymore we can burn it to the ground because it won't matter anymore." Harry said smiling .

"But they treated you-" Sirius began but Harry cut him off.

"Look at me Sirius I have all four limbs, my head, two eyes, a mouth. a nose, all my internal organs, nine fingers, and ten toes were all good." Harry laughed

"Nine?!" Sirius said panicked Harry began laughing.

"I have all ten I wanted to see if you would pick up on that," Harry chuckled as Sirius pouted.

"All right pup I believe you but please when this is over can I hex the dursleys?" he begged.

"When did i become pup?"

"Oh thats what I called you as a baby remus called you cub," sirius explained with amusement "now cursing the Dursleys?"

"Huh funny Ron and Hermione asked me the same thing," Harry said nodding. Sirius let out a small cheer and transformed back into his big shaggy dog form.

"By the way Harry, Sirius can obtain custody but I think for safety I'll become a second guardian. I live in the country side so you guys can move in there." Remus said

"Really what's your house like?" harry asked.

"Actually my parents were rather wealthy so I have a pretty large house and a guest house which can be yours and Siriuss house. I live by the coast so it's a beach house and there are flat rolling plains on one side of the house. it's secluded but very beautiful." remus said Harry smiled.

"It sounds wonderful." Harry said as madam pompfrey opened the curtain.

"Ready?" she said

Remus got up

"I'm going to let Hermione and Ron back in"

PAGE BREAK I DON'T NOW HOW TO PUT ONE IN

"ALBUS !" Mcgonagall shrieked as soon as Remus and Sirius left, "HOW DARE YOU EVEN THINK ABOUT SENDING THAT CHILD BACK TO AN ABUSIVE HOME AMD HERE I THOUGHT YOU CARED ABOUT CHILDREN HARRY ESPECIALLY!"

"Minerva the nessisary wards-" Dumbledore began and mrs Weasley stood up her face deadly.

"You still want to send him back there?" she asked in a threateningly calm voice then she lost it. "WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH YOU?! THEY HAVE BEEN HURTING HARRY AND ALL YOU CAN THINK ABOUT ARE SOME STUPID WARDS! WHICH YOU SAID YOURSELF DIDN'T WORK CORRECTLY! I DONT CARE ABOUT ANY DAMN WARDS! IM WITH REMUS ON THIS YOU CAN'T DECIDE ON HARRY'S FUTURE ANYMORE! AND THE WORST PART YOU DON'T EVEN CARE! YOU JUST KEEP GOING ON ABOUT THESE WARDS! WARDS AREN'T GOING TO PROTECT HARRY FROM ABUSIVE MUGGLES!"

put a comforting arm around his wife and a patronus came in it was a hen.

"Im coming in the floo Albus and I'm bringing Harry's report. We need to have a serious conversation," the unmistakable voice of Poppy Pompfrey said and a second later she appeared in the fireplace.

"Well," Minerva said fearful.

"He has bruising everywhere. He has had a lot of concussions and broken Bones. He has burns all over his arms and hands and from some of the ways his palms are burned..." she stopped to take asleep shuddering breath, "it looks like they made him touch a hot stove."

"Oh Merlin," mrs Weasley said shaking.

"He has tons of scars on his back. They either whipped or hit him with a belt till he bled. The boys been starved to near death. He has kept glamour charms on his whole body and preformed basic healing charms. He hid it from the rest of us quite well . Albus why did no one check up on him this is still going on!"

"What?" Mr Wesley raised his head.

"I looked at some of the dates. This has been going on since he was three and he was still being abused last summer before this school year." Poppy said her eyes flashing at Albus "where is he going to live?"

"With Remus and Sirius," Minerva said smiling slightly, "they will be good for him. Sirius may be reckless but he is very protective of Harry it's perfect."

"Well then we better go into the great hall. Harry should be waking up any minute now."

Page break (this is Ron and hermiones reaction to Harry's abuse happening while the adults are talking)

Ron and Hermione came in and they sat cross legged on the bed again. Harry filled them in on what happened.

"Sounds great mate." Ron said

"Best part no more dursleys!" Harry said as the nurse handed him a potion.

"Now this is a sleeping draught and in a half hour the test will be over. I am going to replicate your wounds not all of them at a time but by the part of your body. They will appear on my chart. Once I have recorded them they'll disappear." Madam Pompfrey explained.

Harry sighed and drank the potion. The effect was instantaneous. Harry fell back and his glasses went lopsided. Hermione took them off and put them on the little table by the bed. They got up and sat on the chairs by the bedside. Madam Pompfrey held her wand over parts of Harry's body and looked at her chart frowning more and more at the chart with each passing minute. Finally she finished Ron and Hermione got up.

"We need to see," Hermione said.

"I'm sorry children but only those of age can see," Madam Pompfrey said.

"He's our best friend and obviously he was abused he told us and we know it was bad he already told us it would be pretty bad." Hermione said.

"Not to mention we're the ones who brought him here," Ron added in.

The nurse looked between the two of them.

"I want that sheet back before he gets up it should be fifteen minutes," was all she said before bustling off.

Hermione opened the sheet and gasped just at the length of it. It was at least a foot of parchment maybe even two feet then they began reading.

Harry James potter

Cranial injuries

Fractured skull rebroken twice

Broken nose rebroken six times

Broken jaw rebroken thrice

Chipped tooth

Bruising mended

Arm injuries

Broken wrists rebroken seven times ( three on right four on left)

Broken fingers-all ten- rebroken twice

Broken right forearm rebroken once

Bruising mended

Half healed First and second degree burns on his fingers hands and forearms

Chest/back injuries

Broken ribs (six) halfhealed

Severe scarring (most likely from being whipped or hit with a belt)

Bruising mended

Leg injuries

Broken left fibula rebroken thrice

Broken right fibula mended

Broken right tibia rebroken twice

Broken ankle (l&r) rebroken once

Bruising mended

Inner injuries

Severe malnutrition

Eye trauma (reason he wears glasses)

Internal bleeding (mended)

Damadge to spine (fell or being pushed down stairs)

Finally they finished reading the list. Hermione felt hot tears rolling down her face.

"How could someone do this?". She choked out "he was just a little kid."

Ron looked sick but more angry.

"I swear those dursleys will wish they had never been born," he muttered the lamps flickering as his magic flowed.

"Ron control yourself!" hermione snapped brushing her eyes

Ron took a deep breath and nodded. Hermione walked over to him and wordlessly pulled him into a hug. They stood there for a while until they heard a yawn and saw Harry putting his glasses on.

"Mornin," he said with a small chuckle.

"Hey," hermione said softly her eyes still wet. She tackled him in a huge hug an Ron joined in.

"Thanks for the hug now why?" Harry asked grinning.

"How Harry?" Hermione said her eyes glistening "how can you be so damn optimistic about this? Yesterday you wanted to rip someone throat out. Today your a completely different person."

"I'm optimistic because I don't have to hold this big secret anymore. It's like a huge weight off my shoulders. I feel different because it's sort of relaxing now that everything is out in the open. I'll never have to see the dursleys again and I get to live with Sirius and Remus. Who wouldn't feel happy?" Harry said smiling calmly "everyone will stop thinking I'm a nutter too." he said laughing lightly.

The trip chuckled a bit before heading to the great hall and the ceiling seemed a lot brighter.

The tables had been conjured into a lot of squashy chairs beanbags and there was soft carpet so some people just laid on the ground. DA grouped together and chatted. Almost everyone noticed the change in Harry's demeanor. He smiled more and laughed a bit at the horrible jokes the twins were telling. Even the teachers noticed they were all a bit subdued after their talk with Dumbledore and his ear was still ringing, Finally everyone was settled and hermione asked to read.

"Ahem okay the next chapter is letters from no one!"

%*%***£££+#=#+=#=#=%]*+[+[+]*{*{*={=

If you review I give cookie


	6. Letters From No One

**OKAY EVERYONE AUTHORS NOTE (BOO) **

**THIS IS THE NEXT CHAPTER AND IN THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS I HAVE MADE A WISH. I WANT 20 NEW REVIEWS BEFORE NEW YEARS. I KNOW IT'S A LOT TO ASK FOR, BUT HEY, HOW HARD IS IT TO WRITE A FEW SENTENCES IN A BOX. ISNT THAT WHY WERE ON THIS SITE ANYWAY? **

**DISCLAIMER: I WISH I DID, BUT I DON'T, OWN HARRY POTTER. J.K. ROWLING DOES. LUCKY GIRL.**

Before she had a chance to speak, Percy Weasley strode in. He sat by the minister and Umbridge without so much as a glance at his estranged family who glared at him with hurt in their eyes.

As Hermione cleared her throat no one noticed the shuffling of feet, and that ten or eleven unoccupied beanbags dipped down as if someone was sitting in them. Finally Hermione spoke again.

"**Letters from no one**she began,

**The escape of the Brazilian boa constrictor earned Harry his  
longest-ever punishment. By the time he was allowed out of his cupboard again, the summer holidays had started**

"When is Dudley's birthday?" Ron asked. Harry murmured something unintelligible, but Hermione heard him.

"APRIL THE SODDY NINETEENTH, YOU WERE IN THERE FOR TWO MONTHS!" she shrieked. Harry shrugged nonchalantly, and she picked up the book steaming.

**Dudley had already broken his new video camera, crashed his remote control airplane, and, first time out on his racing bike, knocked down old Mrs. Figg as she crossed Privet Drive on her crutches.**

"Horrid child," was heard over the hall.

**Harry was glad school was over, but there was no escaping Dudley's gang, who visited the house every single day. Piers, Dennis, Malcolm, and Gordon were all big and stupid, but as Dudley was the biggest and stupidest of the lot, he was the leader.**

"Excellent logic," Harry said, but just imagine that Harry looked over at the Slytherins for a second, "Goyle," he decided, "was leader of Malfoy's pack," There was a round of chuckles from everyone, and some seemed to come from thin air.

**The rest of them were all quite  
happy to join in Dudley's favorite sport: Harry Hunting.  
**  
"And what did this entail?" Mrs. Weasley said threateningly. She had seen Harry's sheet of injuries, and much like Ron, was more furious than anything.  
"Why, nothing but a little fun with the scrawny kid," Harry said scoffing.

**This was why Harry spent as much time as possible out of the house, wandering around and thinking about the end of the holidays, where he could see a tiny ray of hope. When September came he would be going off to secondary school and, for the first time in his life, he wouldn't be with Dudley. Dudley had been accepted at Uncle Vernon's old private school, Smeltings**

"That's the name of his school?" a Hufflepuff asked incredulously.  
"Hey we go to a school named Hogwarts," dean pointed out.

**Piers Polkiss was going there too. Harry, on the other hand, was going to**

"HOGWARTS!" most shouted. The Weasley twins began singing the school song much to some amusement.

**Stonewall High, the local public school. **

"No Harry," Luna said, as if talking to a five year old. "You're going to hog. Warts. It's this school where you learn maaagggiiicc."

**Dudley thought this was very funny.  
"They stuff people's heads down the toilet the first day at Stonewall," he told Harry. "Want to come upstairs and practice?"****  
**  
"He better not," Ginny growled.

**"No, thanks," said Harry. "The poor toilet's never had anything as horrible as your head down it - it might be sick." Then he ran, before Dudley could work out what he'd said.**

There was uproarious laughter and the twins were looking at Harry like he was from mars. "This is insane. We really have to get you pranking with us," the twins decided.  
**  
One day in July, Aunt Petunia took Dudley to London to buy his Smeltings uniform, leaving Harry at Mrs. Figg's. Mrs. Figg wasn't as bad as usual. It turned out she'd broken her leg tripping over one of her cats, and she didn't seem quite as fond of them as before.**

Thank Merlin, Harry muttered

**She let Harry watch television and gave him a bit of chocolate cake that tasted as though she'd had it for several years.  
**  
"The horror," Remus said, clutching his chest  
"Remus, you eat too much chocolate for your own good," Mrs. Weasley tutted. Remus looked appalled as he pulled out a chocolate frog and began munching to amusement. Umbridge however sneered, "Filthy half-breed; I shall become minister one day and outlaw them altogether."  
**  
That evening, Dudley paraded around the living room for the family in his brand-new uniform. Smeltings' boys wore maroon tailcoats,  
**  
Girls looked sick.

**orange knickerbockers,**

Some fainted.

**and flat straw hats called boaters.**

"Makes you happy that we wear plain black robes," Dean commented loudly.

**They also carried knobby sticks, used for hitting each other while the teachers weren't looking. This was supposed to be good training for later life.**

"How is that good training?" McGonagall said aloud

"No offense," professor Neville said, "but don't we do the same thing. We carry our wands around and hex each other in the hallways."  
Many looked thoughtful at his statement.  
Luna laid her head on his shoulder, and he didn't object, but smiled down at her, and a blush creeped up his face, as some other noticed.  
"Shut up," he muttered to snickers.

**As he looked at Dudley in his new knickerbockers, Uncle Vernon said gruffly that it was the proudest moment of his life.**

"Not many proud moments," George commented.

"How could he have proud moments?" his sons Dudley Fred answered seriously.

**Aunt Petunia burst into tears and said she couldn't believe it was her Ickle dudleykins**

"Cue the uproarious laughter again," and there were chuckles from thin air to Harry's immense confusion and frustration.

**he looked so handsome and grown-up. Harry didn't trust himself to speak. He thought two of his ribs might already have cracked from trying not to  
laugh**.

Harry had no such restraint now.

**There was a horrible smell in the kitchen the next morning when Harry went in for breakfast. It seemed to be coming from a large metal tub in the sink.****  
**  
"So Tuney's cooking has gotten better," Snape commented idly, and many laughed. Harry looked thoughtful. How well did Snape know his mum?  
**  
He went to have a look. The tub was full of what looked like  
dirty rags swimming in gray water.  
**  
At the questioning looks, Harry mumbled something like, "Find out soon."

**"What's this?" he asked Aunt Petunia. Her lips tightened as they always did if he dared to ask a question.**

"The horror," Ron said.

"You asked a question. We are all going to fit," the twins said dramatically.  
"Detention Mr. Weasley & Weasley. My office tomorrow night five o'clock," Umbridge said, satisfied.

**"Your new school uniform," she said.  
Harry looked in the bowl again.  
"Oh," he said, "I didn't realize it had to be so wet."**

Snickers rang around, and Remus leaned over.  
"Sarcasm won't work on her, Harry. Merlin knows we tried," Remus said chuckling.

**"Don't be stupid," snapped Aunt Petunia. "I'm dyeing some of Dudley's old things gray for you. It'll look just like everyone else's when I've finished."**

"I seriously doubt that," Ginny muttered

**Harry seriously doubted this,  
**  
"Harrykins thinks like Gin Gin," the twins sang, but they soon found themselves victims to Ginny's bat bogey hex. Michael Corner and Cho Chang looked on, jealous.

**but thought it best not to argue.****  
**  
"Wait! The Potter brat has self control," Snape asked himself.

**He sat down at the table and tried not to think about how he was going to look on his first day at Stonewall High like he was wearing bits of old elephant skin, probably.**

"Hmmmm," the twins said aloud looking over at Harry.

"Yes you would look like you're wearing elephant skin. We're just imagining it."

**Dudley and Uncle Vernon came in, both with wrinkled noses because of the smell from Harry's new uniform  
**  
"Boo hoo," Alicia Spinnet said sarcastically.

**Uncle Vernon opened his newspaper as usual and Dudley banged his Smelting stick, which he carried everywhere, on the table.**

"What about the bacon?" Ron asked, scared.

"Don't worry; we ate it before the plate smashed," Harry said consolingly.

**They heard the click of the mail slot and flop of letters on the  
doormat.  
"Get the mail, Dudley," said Uncle Vernon from behind his paper.**

"Wait. Wait. Back up. He made his fat lard of a son do something?" Neville asked.  
Harry shook his head, chuckling  
**  
"Make Harry get it."  
"Get the mail, Harry."  
"Make Dudley get it."  
**  
"Ah Gryffindor stupidity - I mean bravery," Snape said.  
**  
"Poke him with your Smelting stick, Dudley."  
Harry dodged the Smelting stick and went to get the mail. Three things lay on the doormat: a postcard from Uncle Vernon's sister Marge**

The golden trio smirked.

**who was vacationing on the Isle of Wight, a brown envelope that looked like a bill,  
**  
"Bill?" Ginny asked.  
"Me?" Bill looked confused.  
"Maybe they got a mail-in Bill," Charlie asked seriously, but dissolved into giggles.  
"A post umm sort. It's hard to explain. It's not Bill," Hermione stated.

Harry looked around, "Look, here it is – a bill is a payment that you get from a utility company – or you get an ice cream but you pay for it later, that's what a bill is."  
The Weasleys still looked very confused.

**and - a letter for Harry.**

"Well, hadn't you got all of ours?" Collin Creavey asked.  
"No. I got fan mail?" Harry asked.  
"Well, yea. Ginny wrote to you like a thousand times," the twins said laughing.  
"Shut up," Ginny ordered, but she didn't deny it.

"Okay, who else wrote to me?" Harry asked the great hall.  
At least half the hall put their hands up including some of the staff.  
"I wrote to you," Remus said, "but that was to wish you a happy birthday and on Christmas. I didn't know my letters weren't being delivered." He growled, staring at Dumbledore.  
**  
Harry picked it up and stared at it, his heart twanging like a giant  
elastic band.**

"It's the nargles, Harry," Luna said dreamily from where she sat. Neville stared everyone down as if daring them to laugh at her. No one did

**No one, ever, in his whole life, had written to him.****  
**  
"Yes, people did," George said.  
"Ginny did," Fred said pointing to the now blushing redhead.  
"I know that now," Harry said happily.  
**  
Who would?****  
**  
"Ginny." Fred coughed the word into his hand, sarcastically.  
**  
He had no friends, no other relatives - he didn't belong to the  
library, so he'd never even got rude notes asking for books back.**

The Ravenclaws and Hermione looked horrified.

**Yet here it was, a letter, addressed so plainly there could be no mistake:  
Mr. H. Potter  
The Cupboard under the Stairs  
4 Privet Drive  
Little Whinging  
Surrey  
**  
_"We really have to stop using self addressing quills,"_McGonagall thought.

**The envelope was thick and heavy, made of yellowish parchment, and the address was written in emerald-green ink. There was no stamp.**

"What's a stamp?" A fourth year Slytherin asked.  
The other Slytherins sneered at her and she got up, turning her back on them.  
"YOU KNOW WHAT? SCREW IT!" She yelled at them and went over to where DA was sitting.

"Can I sit here?" She asked, politely.  
Harry nodded, and she sat down.  
"I'm Astoria Greengrass. Now what's a stamp?"

**Turning the envelope over, his hand trembling, Harry saw a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms; a lion  
**  
There was uproarious noise coming from the Gryffindor.

**an eagle,**

There were some cheers, but it was much quieter than the Lions.

**a badger,**

Many cheers and few whoops from the Puffs.

**and a snake**

There was dignified clapping from almost all the Slytherins (except Astoria). She stood up. "You know what, Slytherin?"

"Yeah, wooooo," she cheered, than sat down amongst the other houses again.  
The twins turned to her.

"We like you," they confirmed grinning.

**surrounding a large letter H.**

HOGWARTS almost all the houses shouted.  
**  
"Hurry up, boy!" shouted Uncle Vernon from the kitchen. "What are you doing, checking for letter bombs?" He chuckled at his own joke.  
**  
The twins actually fainted at that. When Luna renervated them, they spluttered. "That was a joke, sweet Merlin."

**Harry went back to the kitchen, still staring at his letter.  
**  
"Ugh, Harry," many groaned, exasperated.  
"Give me a break. Okay I was ten, and that was the first time someone ever wrote to me.  
"No," Fred said, "Ginny wrote to you."

**He handed Uncle Vernon the bill and the postcard, sat down, and slowly began to open the yellow envelope.  
**  
"Open it already," someone shouted.

**Uncle Vernon ripped open the bill,**

Again with the confused looks towards Bill. Bill however winced and said, "Ouch, I don't want to be ripped in half."

The Muggle-borns sighed, and Hermoine hit her forehead on Harry's shoulder, groaning.

**snorted in disgust, and flipped over the postcard.  
"Marge's ill," he informed Aunt Petunia. "Ate a funny whelk."  
**  
"Yay," Harry said.

**"Dad!" said Dudley suddenly. "Dad, Harry's got something!"  
**  
"YOU FAT BAST….," Ginny was again put under a silencing spell to rant.

**Harry was on the point of unfolding his letter, which was written on the same heavy parchment as the envelope, when it was jerked sharply out of  
his hand by Uncle Vernon.  
**  
"Unrightfully taking mail," Madam Bones said idly.

**"That's mine!" said Harry, trying to snatch it back.  
"Who'd be writing to you?"**

"Gin," the twins began, but Ginny had finally had enough. She got up on a small table and shouted to the rest of the hall: "FINE, FINE I WROTE TO HARRY, OKAY? I'M SURE MOST OF YOU DID AS WELL. SO SHUT THE HELL UP. AND FRED … GEORGE, FROM WHAT I REMEMBER, YOU WROTE TO HIM AS WELL, ALMOST AS MUCH AS RON AND I," She shrieked before getting back down.

**sneered Uncle Vernon, shaking the letter opening it with one hand and glancing at it. His face went from red to green faster than a set of traffic lights. And it didn't stop there. Within seconds it was the grayish white of old porridge.  
**  
"I will never eat porridge again, thanks Harry," Ron vowed.  
**  
"P-P-Petunia!" he gasped.**

"Drama queen," many said.  
**  
Dudley tried to grab the letter to read it, but Uncle Vernon held it  
high out of his reach. Aunt Petunia took it curiously and read the first line. For a moment it looked as though she might faint. She clutched her throat and made a choking noise.  
"Vernon! Oh my goodness - Vernon!"  
**  
"Okay that sounds so wrong out of context," the twins said, and Harry looked very sick at that thought.

**They stared at each other, seeming to have forgotten that Harry and Dudley were still in the room. Dudley wasn't used to being ignored. He gave his father a sharp tap on the head with his Smelting stick.**

"I pray none of you do that," Mrs. Weasley warned, "I wouldn't relish the thought of killing one of my children."  
**  
"I want to read that letter," he said loudly. want to read it," said  
Harry furiously, "as it's mine."**

"You tell him, Harry," some said. Remus turned to the DA.

"Whose temper does he have? James was more 'go with the flow' but could yell if you kept him in the dark for too long, but Lilly would explode over the little things. We didn't nickname her 'Red' for nothing."

"Hmmm, I think he got a scary combination of both," Ron commented and Remus shuddered.

**"Get out, both of you," croaked Uncle Vernon, stuffing the letter back inside its envelope.  
Harry didn't move.  
I WANT MY LETTER!" he shouted.**

"I see," Remus commented to a blushing Harry, who was muttering mutinously under his breath, something about curses, books, Dursleys and toads.

**"Let me see it!" demanded Dudley.  
"OUT!" roared Uncle Vernon, and he took both Harry and Dudley by the scruffs of their necks and threw them into the hall, slamming the kitchen door behind them.**

Many growls were heard at Harry's treatment. Snuffles whined. Harry whispered into his ear, "It's okay, Sirius, I'm fine, and I'll never have to go back there."  
**  
Harry and Dudley promptly had a furious but silent fight over who would listen at the keyhole;**

"Harry. Harry. Harry," the twins chanted.

**Dudley won,****  
**  
"Awww drat. We owe Astoria a sickle," they said handing said girl the money.

**so Harry, his glasses dangling from one ear, lay flat on his stomach to listen at the crack between door and floor.  
**  
"That's actually easier to listen to," Harry said thoughtfully.  
**  
"Vernon," Aunt Petunia was saying in a quivering voice, "look at the address - how could they possibly know where he sleeps? You don't think they're watching the house?"  
"Watching - spying - might be following us," muttered Uncle Vernon**

"Like we have nothing better to do," someone said, before they heard a slap.

Confusedly, they turned back to the reading, but they kept their ears open.

**wildly. But what should we do, Vernon? Should we write back? Tell them we don't  
want -"  
Harry could see Uncle Vernon's shiny black shoes pacing up and****  
down the kitchen.  
"No," he said finally. "No, we'll ignore it. If they don't get an  
answer... Yes, that's best... we won't do anything...  
**  
"Won't work," the twins sang.

**"But -"  
"I'm not having one in the house, Petunia! Didn't we swear when we took him in we'd stamp out that dangerous nonsense?"  
**  
"Stamp out," Luna said, all dreaminess gone as she worked out what that meant.

**That evening when he got back from work, Uncle Vernon did something he'd never done before; he visited Harry in his cupboard.**

"He fit?" The twins asked.  
"Just his face and neck," Harry said, grinning.

**"Where's my letter?" said Harry, the moment Uncle Vernon had squeeze through the door. "Who's writing to me?"**

"I do wonder," Astoria said.

**"No one. it was addressed to you by mistake," said Uncle Vernon shortly.  
"I have burned it."**

"WHAT?!" was the general outcry.  
"Don't worry, I get my letter in a rather spectacular way," Harry said.

**"It was not a mistake," said Harry angrily, "it had my cupboard on it."**  
**"SILENCE!" yelled Uncle Vernon, and a couple of spiders fell from the ceiling.**

Shudders ran through Ron. The twins looked on, disturbed. Why had their prank affected him so much?

**He took a few deep breaths and then forced his face into a smile, which looked quite painful.  
**  
"Hope it was," was the general mutter through the hall.

**"Err - yes, Harry - about this cupboard. Your aunt and I have been thinking... you're really getting a bit big for it... we think it might be nice if you moved into Dudley's second bedroom.**

"SECOND BEDROOM," Hermione shrieked "THAT FAT LARD HAD TWO BEDROOMS AND YOU WERE IN A BROOM CUPBOARD. OK THAT'S IT," she got up and took out her wand. Harry took her wand, and Ron sat her down.

"Hermione, calm down. It's ok. I stay there for literally a month, maybe two. Ok, it's fine," Harry soothed her.

Ron slowly let go of her, and Harry gave her wand back. But the chasers on the quidditch team thought she had the right idea. They considered Harry their honorary brother in all but blood.

**"Why?" said Harry.  
**  
"Don't ask why," Alicia said.

**"Don't ask questions!" snapped his uncle. "Take this stuff upstairs,  
now."  
The Dursleys' house had four bedrooms  
**  
Many growls were heard, and Harry had a thought.  
"Not all Muggles are like this. Most are very nice. So please don't let this book prejudice you," he said before turning back to Hermione.  
**  
one for Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia, one for visitors (usually Uncle Vernon's sister, Marge), one where Dudley slept, and one where Dudley kept all the toys and things that wouldn't fit into his first bedroom.****  
**  
"Spoiled," Angelina said.

**It only took Harry one trip  
upstairs to move everything he owned from the cupboard to this room. He sat down on the bed and stared around him. Nearly everything in here was broken. The month-old video camera was lying on top of a small, working  
tank Dudley had once driven over the next door neighbor's dog;  
**  
Shuffles whined from where he was sitting.

**in the corner was Dudley's first-ever television set, which he'd put his foot through when his favorite program had been canceled; there was a large birdcage, which had once held a parrot that Dudley had swapped at school  
for a real air rifle, which was up on a shelf with the end all bent  
because Dudley had sat on it.****  
**  
"Wow he is fat," Dean said matter of factly, and everyone laughed.

**Other shelves were full of books. They were the only things in the room that looked as though they'd never been touched.**

Many laughed at the expressions on the faces of Hermoine and the Ravenclaws.

**From downstairs came the sound of Dudley bawling at his mother, I don't want him in there... I need that room... make him get out..."  
**  
"Harry needs that room, you fat pig," Katie bell said savagely.

**Harry sighed and stretched out on the bed. Yesterday he'd have given anything to be up here. Today he'd rather be back in his cupboard with that letter than up here without it.  
**  
"That's sad, Lavender Brown said, her face empathetic.

**Next morning at breakfast, everyone was rather quiet. Dudley was in shock. He'd screamed, whacked his father with his Smelting stick, been sick on purpose, kicked his mother, and thrown his tortoise through the  
greenhouse roof, and he still didn't have his room back.**

"Oh my God," the twins breathed.

"Do you know what mum would do to us if we did anything on that list," Fred said, and all of the Weasleys including Percy shuddered.

**Harry was thinking about this time yesterday and bitterly wishing he'd opened the letter in the hall.  
**  
"Only you, mate," Ron said, clapping Harry on the shoulder.  
"Thanks Ron," he said sarcastically.

**Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia kept looking at each other darkly.  
When the mail arrived, Uncle Vernon, who seemed to be trying to be nice to Harry, made Dudley go and get it. They heard him banging things with his Smelting stick all the way down the hall. Then he shouted, "There's  
another one! 'Mr. H. Potter, The Smallest Bedroom, 4 Privet Drive**

"Idiot. If he wanted to read it, why not in the hall?" Draco muttered.

Harry looked at him, shocked.  
"Draco, he can't read," Harry said obviously, and Draco chuckled softly  
**  
With a strangled cry, Uncle Vernon leapt from his seat and ran down the hall, Harry right behind him. Uncle Vernon had to wrestle Dudley to the ground to get the letter from him, which was made difficult by the fact that Harry had grabbed Uncle Vernon around the neck from behind.**

"Oh, so you had practice before the troll," Ron commented. Remus and the elder Weasleys blanched.

"Troll," Charlie stuttered, looking over at his younger brother. Harry mumbled something like, "In the book."

**After a minute of confused fighting**

"Harry. Harry. Harry," the twins chanted.

**in which everyone got hit a lot by the Smelting stick, Uncle Vernon straightened up, gasping for breath, with Harry's letter clutched in his hand.**

"Damn," they said.  
"Twenty points from Gryffindor," Snape said, but the hourglass did not move, and someone said very loudly, "It won't work."

Then everyone turned as they heard a very loud smack. Both sounds seemed to come from thin air.

**"Go to your cupboard - I mean, your bedroom," he wheezed at Harry.  
"Dudley - go - just go."  
Harry walked round and round his new room. Someone knew he had moved out of his cupboard and they seemed to know he hadn't received his first letter. Surely that meant they'd try again?**

"Of course," McGonagall said.

**And this time he'd make sure they didn't fail. He had a plan.**

Two identical groans were heard at this.  
"No offense, mate, but your plans blow," Ron sniggered.  
"How, how is that not offensive?" Harry asked.  
"It's the truth," Ron muttered.  
**  
The repaired alarm clock rang at six o'clock the next morning. Harry turned it off quickly and dressed silently. He mustn't wake the Dursleys. He stole downstairs without turning on any of the lights. He was going to wait for the postman on the corner of Privet Drive and get the letters for number four first.  
**  
"Okay that's not completely awful," Hermione said. Harry crossed his arms sulkily  
"Not helping," he pouted. Remus chuckled.  
"James would get the same look whenever me and pad foot would tease him," Remus explained.

**His heart hammered as he crept across the dark hall toward the front door - Harry leapt into the air; he'd trodden on something**

"Please be the whale," the twins begged.

**big and squashy on the doorma**t

**"**Please be the whale," they turned to the sky.

**something alive!  
**  
"Please," they shouted.

**Lights clicked on upstairs and to his horror Harry realized that the  
big, squashy something had been his uncle's face.****  
**  
"Yes!" The twins roared and began dancing a jig together. Many onlookers laughed.

**Uncle Vernon had been lying at the foot of the front door in a sleeping bag, clearly making sure that Harry didn't do exactly what he'd been trying to do. He shouted at Harry for about half an hour and then told him to go and make a cup of tea.**

"Make your own tea. You could use the small amount of exercise," Percy mumbled. He felt horrid about his fight with his family, but now was to far deep to just go back. They would never accept him.

**Harry shuffled miserably off into the kitchen and by the time he got back, the mail had arrived, right into Uncle Vernon's lap. Harry could see three letters addressed in green ink.  
I want -" he began, but Uncle Vernon was tearing the letters into  
pieces before his eyes  
**  
"Bastard," Mrs. Weasley said and blushed as the twins hugged her.

**Uncle Vernon didn't go to work that day. He stayed at home and nailed up the mail slot.  
"See," he explained to Aunt Petunia through a mouthful of nails, "if they can't deliver them they'll just give up."**

"It won't work," the twins sang."

**"I'm not sure that'll work, Vernon."  
"Oh, these people's minds work in strange ways, Petunia, they're not  
like you and me," said Uncle Vernon, trying to knock in a nail with the piece of fruitcake Aunt Petunia had just brought him.  
**  
"Thank Merlin," was muttered all across the hall. Umbridge began fuming. "At this rate they would never get any dirt on Potter."

**On Friday, no less than twelve letters arrived for Harry. As they  
couldn't go through the mail slot they had been pushed under the door, slotted through the sides, and a few even forced through the small window in the downstairs bathroom.  
**  
"Getting crafty," Lee said, as if he was commentating a quidditch match.

**Uncle Vernon stayed at home again. After burning all the letters, he got out a hammer and nails and boarded up the cracks around the front and back doors so no one could go out.  
**  
_"He's nutters,"_ thought Hermione.

**He hummed "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" as he worked, and jumped at small noises. On Saturday, things began to get out of hand**.

"You just realized this?" Ron said, laughing.  
**  
Twenty-four letters to Harry found their way into the house, rolled up and hidden inside each of the two dozen eggs that their very confused milkman had handed Aunt Petunia through the living room window.**

"I forgot. Thank you, Filius, for helping me with that," McGonagall said, smiling at the small teacher.  
"Not at all Minerva," he said.

**While Uncle Vernon made furious telephone calls to the post office and the dairy trying to find someone to complain to,**

"Yep they're going to listen to a Looney going on about letters in his eggs," Harry said smiling.

**Aunt Petunia shredded the letters in her food processor.  
"Who on earth wants to talk to you this badly?" Dudley asked Harry in amazement.**

Ginny glared at the cowering twins.  
**  
On Sunday morning, Uncle Vernon sat down at the breakfast table looking tired and rather ill, but happy.  
"No post on Sundays,"**

"Huh," many pure bloods said.  
"Muggles deliver the post," Justin Finchfetchley explained to them. "No post on Sundays is a normal occurrence."

**he reminded them cheerfully as he spread marmalade on his newspapers**,

"That however is rather unusual," Justin said confusedly.  
**  
"no damn letters today -"  
Something came whizzing down the kitchen chimney as he spoke and caught him sharply on the back of the head. Next moment, thirty or forty letters came pelting out of the fireplace like bullets.**

"Minerva, where did you…" Dumbledore began, before McGonagall cut him off, answering his question, "copying charm."

**The Dursleys ducked, but Harry leapt into the air trying to catch one.  
**  
"Dormant seeker skills," he said, as he got rather exasperated glances.

**"Out! OUT!" Uncle Vernon seized Harry around the waist and threw him into the hall.  
**  
You could see the magic in the air, literally. You could see specks and shiny bits floating in an irritated manner. Sighing, he conjured a dummy and put an unbearable charm on it.

**When Aunt Petunia and Dudley had run out with their arms over their faces, Uncle Vernon slammed the door shut. They could hear the letters still streaming into the room, bouncing off the walls and floor.  
"That does it," said Uncle Vernon, trying to speak calmly but pulling  
great tufts out of his mustache at the same time.  
**  
Blaise Zabini tried to imagine this, but got a picture of a very fat whale instead.

**I want you all back here in five minutes ready to leave. We're going away. Just pack some  
clothes. No arguments!"  
He looked so dangerous with half his mustache missing that no one dared argue.  
**  
To be fair, he had a blotchy purple face, a vein pounding on his temple, and his eyes were bulging. "Rather frightening," Harry explained.

**Ten minutes later they had wrenched their way through the  
boarded-up doors and were in the car, speeding toward the highway.  
Dudley was sniffling in the back seat; his father had hit him round the head for holding them up while he tried to pack his television, VCR, and computer in his sports bag.**

There were cheers around the hall.

**They drove. And they drove. Even Aunt Petunia didn't dare ask where they were going. Every now and then Uncle Vernon would take a sharp turn and drive in the opposite direction for a while. "Shake'em off... shake 'em  
off," he would mutter whenever he did this.  
**  
Many rolled their eyes, and Hermione groaned.  
"Harry's magic creates a signal. We'd be able to find him anywhere on earth."  
"So they just had to take me to Mars," Harry said, thoughtfully, before cracking up with the twins.

**They didn't stop to eat or drink all day. By nightfall Dudley was  
howling. He'd never had such a bad day in his life. He was hungry, he'd missed five television programs he'd wanted to see, and he'd never gone so long without blowing up an alien on his computer.  
**  
"Hey, Dudders, guess what?" George began.  
"Welcome to Harry's life," Fred finished.

**Uncle Vernon stopped at last outside a gloomy-looking hotel on the outskirts of a big city. Dudley and Harry shared a room with twin beds and damp, musty sheets. Dudley snored but Harry stayed awake, sitting on the windowsill, staring down at the lights of passing cars and wondering...  
**  
"About what?" Dennis asked.  
"Who was writing to me and why the Dursleys didn't want me too find out," Harry said with a smile.

**They ate stale cornflakes and cold tinned tomatoes on toast for**  
**breakfast the next day.**

"Not breakfast," Madam Pomfrey tutted.  
"More than I usually got," Harry murmured.

**They had just finished when the owner of the hotel came over to their table.  
"'Scuse me, but is one of you Mr. H. Potter? Only I got about an 'undred of these at the front desk."  
She held up a letter so they could read the green ink address:  
Mr. H. Potter  
Room 17  
Railview Hotel  
Cokeworth  
Harry made a grab for the letter but Uncle Vernon knocked his hand out of the way. The woman stared.**

"Do more than stare, lady," Ron shouted.  
"You do realize your talking to a book," Harry said.

**"I'll take them," said Uncle Vernon, standing up quickly and following her from the dining room.  
Wouldn't it be better just to go home, dear?" Aunt Petunia suggested**

"Listen to her," DA called out"

"Don't," Harry said, "the way I got my letter was awesome."  
**  
timidly, hours later, but Uncle Vernon didn't seem to hear her. Exactly what he was looking for, none of them knew. He drove them into the middle of a forest, got out, looked around, shook his head, got back in the car, and off they went again. The same thing happened in the middle of a plowed field, halfway across a suspension bridge, and at the top of a multilevel parking garage.  
"Daddy's gone mad, hasn't he?" Dudley asked****  
**  
"Daddy went mad a long time ago, Dudley," Fred said grievously.

**Aunt Petunia dully late that  
afternoon. Uncle Vernon had parked at the coast, locked them all inside the car, and disappeared. It started to rain. Great drops beat on the roof of the car. Dudley sniveled.  
"It's Monday," he told his mother. "The Great Humberto's on tonight. I want to stay somewhere with a television. " Monday. This reminded Harry of something. If it was Monday - and you could usually count on Dudley to know the days the week,  
**  
Cue the gasps.  
**  
because of television**

"Don't worry people," the twins and Luna called, "crisis averted."

**then tomorrow, Tuesday, was Harry's eleventh birthday**.

The hall broke out into a chorus of happy birthday. Harry blushed and muttered, "It's not my birthday."

**Of course, his birthdays were never exactly fun - last year, the Dursleys had given him a coat hanger and a pair of Uncle Vernon's old socks.**

"What do you want this year?" Remus asked.

"Moony, my birthday was four months ago," Harry pointed out, sitting next to said werewolf.

**Still, you weren't eleven every day.  
**  
"Nope, just 365," a Slytherin called out.

**Uncle Vernon was back and he was smiling. He was also carrying a long, thin package and didn't answer Aunt Petunia when she asked what he'd bought**.

"Ooooh. What is it?" Hermione called nervously.

**"Found the perfect place!" he said. "Come on! Everyone out!"  
It was very cold outside the car. Uncle Vernon was pointing at what looked like a large rock way out at sea. Perched on top of the rock was the most miserable little shack you could imagine. One thing was certain, there was no television in there.  
"Storm forecast for tonight!" said Uncle Vernon gleefully, clapping his hands together.  
**  
"And that is why I hate thunderstorms," Harry mumbled to Ron and Hermione.  
**  
"And this gentleman's kindly agreed to lend us his  
boat!" A toothless old man came ambling up to them, pointing, with a rather wicked grin, at an old rowboat bobbing in the iron-gray water below them.**

"Yep, a perfect gentleman," the twins reasoned.

**"I've already got us some rations," said Uncle Vernon, "so all aboard!"  
It was freezing in the boat. Icy sea spray and rain crept down their  
necks and a chilly wind whipped their faces. After what seemed like  
hours they reached the rock, where Uncle Vernon, slipping and sliding, led the way to the broken-down house.  
**  
"Just a lovely vacation," Harry said scarily. "Yep one of my favorites."

**The inside was horrible; it smelled strongly of seaweed, the wind  
whistled through the gaps in the wooden walls, and the fireplace was damp and empty. There were only two rooms. Uncle Vernon's rations turned out to be a bag of chips each and four bananas.**

"Those are not rations," Remus said.  
"That's supposing Harry got any," Ron said.  
"Yeah like they fed me on a daily basis," Harry murmured.  
**  
He tried to start a fire but the empty chip bags just smoked  
and shriveled up.  
"Could do with some of those letters now, eh?" he said cheerfully.**

"What I wouldn't give to meet this man on a full moon," Remus growled and Umbridge sneered.  
"Filthy half-breed.  
"HOW DARE YOU?" Someone yelled. No one saw who.

**He was in a very good mood. Obviously he thought nobody stood a chance of reaching them here in a storm to deliver mail. Harry privately agreed, though the thought didn't cheer him up at all.**

"Everyone's favorite pessimist," Hermione said lovingly.

**As night fell, the promised storm blew up around them. Spray from the high waves splattered the walls of the hut and a fierce wind rattled the filthy windows. Aunt Petunia found a few moldy blankets in the second  
room and made up a bed for Dudley on the moth-eaten sofa.****  
**  
"Well done, I would never have thought those blankets would fit him," Terry Boot called out.  
**  
She and Uncle Vernon went off to the lumpy bed next door, and Harry was left to find the softest bit of floor he could and to curl up under the thinnest, most ragged blanket.  
**  
Harry hid, as a ton of pitying looks were thrown his way.

**The storm raged more and more ferociously as the night went on. Harry couldn't sleep. He shivered and turned over, trying to get comfortable, his stomach rumbling with hunger. Dudley's snores were drowned by the  
low rolls of thunder that started near midnight. The lighted dial of  
Dudley's watch, which was dangling over the edge of the sofa on his fat wrist, told Harry he'd be eleven in ten minutes' time.**

_"This should be fun,"_ Harry thought.  
**  
He lay and watched his birthday tick nearer, wondering if the Dursleys would remember at all, wondering where the letter writer was now  
**  
"In my office, wondering where you were and why you kept moving," McGonagall answered.  
**  
Five minutes to go. Harry heard something creak outside. He hoped the roof wasn't going to fall in, although he might be warmer if it did.**

Ginny ruffled Harry's hair playfully, "Oh, little pessimist."  
**  
Four minutes to go. Maybe the house in Privet Drive would be so full of letters when they got back that he'd be able to steal one somehow.**

"Very Slytherin of you," Draco commented.  
"I'll take that as a compliment."  
"Good. The first and last," he called across the hall.

**Three minutes to go. Was that the sea, slapping hard on the rock like  
that? And (two minutes to go) what was that funny crunching noise? Was the rock crumbling into the sea? One minute to go and he'd be eleven. Thirty seconds... twenty ... ten... nine - maybe he'd wake Dudley up,**

"DO IT," the twins screamed.

**just to annoy him - three...****  
two...  
one...  
BOOM  
**  
Many rubbed their ears. Who knew that Hermione had such a loud voice?

**The whole shack shivered and Harry sat bolt upright, staring at the door. Someone was outside, knocking to come in.  
**  
"That's the chapter," Hermione said.  
"Can I read it?" Luna asked, and delicately took the book.

"Keeper of the Keys," she read happily, while looking around the room.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: PEOPLE, THERE IS STILL TIME TO VOTE, SO DO NOT GET YOUR KNICKERS IN A TWIST. BASICALLY, THE TIME TRAVELERS WILL NOT MAKE THEIR NAMES KNOWN UNTIL 9 AND 3/4. SO VOTE, BECAUSE NO ONE HAS VOTED IN LIKE A MONTH! AND MY WISHLIST, PLEASE! 20 REVIEWS FOR CHRISTMAS :) LOVE ANDIE. **


	7. Keeper Of The Keys

**Okay go ahead and guilt trip me I deserve it this was the worst chapter I ever wrote but sue me my grannys in the hospital and the holidays it just got away from me don't worry I will never leave you hanging for so long ever again**

**Disclaimer I wish but I don't own harry potter**

As everyone took a five-minute break, there was another secret conversation going on. "We need to be quieter; Harry is getting suspicious," a female voice said.

"Okay so why don't the silver trio stay and the rest of us go back to the room of requirement," an amused voice said.

"Fine, just send a patronus if you need any help," the first voice said, and as everyone came in, the cloaked children left and shut the door with a bang.

**BANG.****  
**  
"Shit, what was that?!" Ron asked startled.

"I'm reading, Ron," Luna said in a hurt tone.  
**  
****"THE KEEPER OF THE KEYS,"** Luna called out and everyone quieted.

**BOOM.****  
**  
Again everyone rubbed their ears. Snuffles whined at everyone shouting again.  
**  
****They knocked again. Dudley jerked awake. "Where's the cannon?" he said stupidly.**

"What does he not say stupidly?" Fred asked lazily.

**There was a crash behind them, and Uncle Vernon came skidding into the room. He was holding a rifle in his hands.****  
**  
"WHAT? THAT LOONY HAD A GUN AROUND CHILDREN?" Hermione shrieked.

**Now they knew what had been****in the long, thin package he had brought with them.****"Who's there?" he shouted. "I warn you I'm armed!"******

"George, oh no. I just realized something," Fred said hauntingly.  
"We're armed," George cried dramatically, and everyone laughed.  
"SHUT UP," Umbridge yelled shrilly.  
"Madam Umbridge, I must request you do not speak to the children like so," Dumbledore said his eyes flashing dangerously. Umbridge cowered slightly in her seat.

**There was a pause. Then SMASH!****  
**  
"Bloody hell, Luna," Ron muttered, "please tell me there are no more shouts in this," he begged.  
"Sorry Charlie," Hermione teased.  
"Charlie? I'm Ron. "Ron said confusedly.  
"Honestly, Ronald, I am forcing you to take muggle studies next year it's on TV."  
"Oh what does it mean. "Ron asked he was ignored.

**The door was hit with such force that it swung clean off its hinges and with a deafening crash landed flat on the floor. A giant of a man was standing in the doorway. His face was almost completely hidden by a long, shaggy mane of hair and a wild, tangled beard, but you could make out his eyes, glinting like black beetles under all the hair.****  
**  
"HAGRID," many cried fondly especially the Gryffindor.  
"Filthy half breed," Umbridge thought.

**the giant squeezed his way into the hut, stooping so that his head just brushed the ceiling. He bent down, picked up the door, and fitted it easily back into its frame. The noise of the storm outside dropped a little. He turned to look at them all.****  
****"Couldn't make us a cup o' tea, could yeh? It's not been an easy****  
****journey..."****  
**  
"Only Hagrid," many thought thinking of the loving man.  
**  
****He strode over to the sofa where Dudley sat frozen with fear.****  
****"Budge up, yeh great lump," said the stranger.****  
**  
"Many cheered at this Umbridge stewed.  
**  
****Dudley squeaked and ran to hide behind his mother,****  
**  
"Okay that's not gonna work," Ginny said snickering.  
**  
****who was crouching, terrified, behind Uncle Vernon.****  
**  
"Oh I understand now," Ginny said consolingly.

**"An' here's Harry!" said the giant.****  
****Harry looked up into the fierce, wild, shadowy face and saw that the beetle eyes were crinkled in a smile****  
****"Las' time I saw you, you was only a baby," said the giant. "Yeh look a lot like yet dad, but yeh've got yet mom's eyes."****  
**  
"First time someone told me that," Harry said wistfully.  
"Me and Padfoot will tell you more soon," Remus whispered to him.

**Uncle Vernon made a funny rasping noise.****  
****I demand that you leave at once, sir!" he said. "You are breaking and entering!"****  
**  
"Like that'll stop, Hagrid," Neville said rolling his eyes. Many were surprised. Usually Neville was quiet. Harry however took it in stride.  
"Yeah, I doubt even my hippo of an uncle could do that," he said grinning.  
**  
****"Ah, shut up, Dursley, yeh great prune," said the giant; he reached over the back of the sofa, jerked the gun out of Uncle Vernon's hands, bent it into a knot as easily as if it had been made of rubber, and threw it into a corner of the room.****  
**  
"Thank goodness," Hermione said squeezing Harry's arm.  
**  
****Uncle Vernon made another funny noise, like a mouse being trodden on.**

Many pictured this and laughed

**"Anyway - Harry," said the giant, turning his back on the Dursleys, "a very happy birthday to yeh. Got summat fer yeh here - I mighta sat on it at some point, but it'll taste all right."**

Pansy Parkinson wrinkled her nose.  
**  
****From an inside pocket of his black overcoat he pulled a slightly****  
****squashed box. Harry opened it with trembling fingers. Inside was a large, sticky chocolate cake with Happy Birthday Harry written on it in green icing.****  
**  
"Awww," many girls cooed again.  
"How did you enjoy that, Harry? "Charlie asked. He was quite familiar with Hagrid's cooking.  
"He didn't bake it… I suppose a house elf did," Harry said thoughtfully.

**Harry looked up at the giant. He meant to say thank you, but the words got lost on the way to his mouth, and what he said instead was, "Who are you?"****  
**  
"Manners, Harry," Hermione scolded him before Mrs. Weasley could even open her mouth.  
"Okay, Hermione, when a giant breaks down your door and gives you a cake, supposedly knowing you, give me a call," Harry said.

**The giant chuckled.****  
****"True, I haven't introduced meself. Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts."****  
****He held out an enormous hand and shook Harry's whole arm.******

Anyone who had felt that winced.

**"What about that tea then, eh?" he said, rubbing his hands together.****  
****"I'd not say no ter summat stronger if yeh've got it, mind."****  
**  
"Hagrid," McGonagall groaned.  
**  
****His eyes fell on the empty grate with the shriveled chip bags in it and he snorted. He bent down over the fireplace; they couldn't see what he was doing but when he drew back a second later, there was a roaring fire there.******

Umbridge perked up. "Was that half breed doing magic when he had been expelled?" Azkaban would want to know about that.

**It filled the whole damp hut with flickering light and Harry felt****  
****the warmth wash over him as though he'd sunk into a hot bath.******

"At least you won't catch cold," Mrs. Weasley grumbled.

**The giant sat back down on the sofa, which sagged under his weight, and began taking all sorts of things out of the pockets of his coat: a copper kettle, a squashy package of sausages, a poker, a teapot, several chipped mugs, and a bottle of some amber liquid that he took a swig from before starting to make tea.******

"Oh Hagrid," McGonagall sighed.

**Soon the hut was full of the sound and smell of sizzling sausage.******

There was a loud grumbling.  
"What was that, Pansy?" Parkinson asked fearfully.  
"Just Ron's stomach," Hermione and Harry said together. Said redhead blushed as the hall snickered.  
**  
****Nobody said a thing while the giant was working, but as he slid the first six fat, juicy, slightly burnt****  
****sausages from the poker, Dudley fidgeted a little. Uncle Vernon said****  
****sharply, "Don't touch anything he gives you, Dudley."******

"Like he needs more food," Charlie rolled his eyes.  
**  
****the giant chuckled darkly.****  
****"Yet great puddin' of a son don' need fattenin' anymore, Dursley, don'nworry."******

Charlie grinned, but a little subdued. Where was his favorite big guy?

**He passed the sausages to Harry, who was so hungry he had never tasted anything so wonderful, but he still couldn't take his eyes off the giant. Finally, as nobody seemed about to explain anything, he said,****  
****"I'm sorry, but I still don't really know who you are."****  
**  
"Well that is less rude," Mrs. Weasley managed, as Ron and Harry sniggered.

**The giant took a gulp of tea and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.****  
**  
The Slytherin girls sneered at the lack of manners and proper etiquette.

**"Call me Hagrid," he said, "everyone does. An' like I told yeh, I'm Keeper of Keys at Hogwarts - yeh'll know all about Hogwarts, o' course.****  
****"Err - no," said Harry.****  
****Hagrid looked shocked.****  
****"Sorry," Harry said quickly.****  
**  
"Harry why'd you apologize," Hermione asked.  
Harry mumbled something.  
"Didn't catch that," Ron said in a mocking, calm voice.  
"Everything was usually my fault, so I just automatically say sorry," Harry mumbled. Many growls were met with that statement.

**"Sorry?" barked Hagrid, turning to stare at the Dursleys, who shrank back into the shadows. "It's them as should be sorry! I knew yeh weren't gettin' yer letters but I never thought yeh wouldn't even know abou' Hogwarts, fer cryin' out loud! Did yeh never wonder where yet parents learned it all?"****  
****"All what?" asked Harry.**

"Hmm… I do wonder," Forge said, tapping his chin.  
"Possibly magic," Forge / Gred said.  
"Yes, Gred, that would be right."  
**  
****"ALL WHAT?" Hagrid thundered. "Now wait jus' one second!"****  
****He had leapt to his feet. In his anger he seemed to fill the whole hut. The Dursleys were cowering against the wall.**

"Now that was a change," Harry mumbled, "that was usually me," he thought.

**"Do you mean ter tell me," he growled at the Dursleys, "that this boy - this boy! knows nothin' abou' about ANYTHING?**

"Oh dear. That came out wrong," Lavender said.  
**  
****Harry thought this was going a bit far. He had been to school, after****  
****all, and his marks weren't bad.****  
****"I know some things," he said. "I can, you know, do math and stuff." But Hagrid simply waved his hand and said, "About our world, I mean. Your world. My world. Yer parents' world."****  
****"What world?"****  
****Hagrid looked as if he was about to explode.****  
**  
"Imagine that," Ron said.

**"DURSLEY!" he boomed.****  
****Uncle Vernon, who had gone very pale, whispered something that sounded like "Mimblewimble."****  
**  
"Not a word," Ravenclaws house said as one.  
**  
****Hagrid stared wildly at Harry.****  
****"But yeh must know about yet mom and dad," he said. "I mean, they're famous. You're famous."****  
****"What? My - my mom and dad weren't famous, were they?"**

"You don't ask about yourself," Draco said, disbelievingly.  
"I'd been told almost nothing about my parents; any information was my top priority."  
Harry's statement made many sad and filled with pity for the teenager.  
**  
****"Yeh don' know... yeh don' know..." Hagrid ran his fingers through his hair, fixing Harry with a bewildered stare.****  
****"Yeh don' know what yeh are?" he said finally.****  
**  
"It's obvious," the twins chorused.  
"He's a scrawny," Fred began, "Specky," George continued…. "Git," they finished together.  
Mrs. Weasley glared at them.  
**  
****Uncle Vernon suddenly found his voice.**

Many groaned.  
**  
****"Stop!" he commanded. "Stop right there, sit! I forbid you to tell the boy anything!"**

"Like you can forbid Hagrid from doing anything," Bill said.  
**  
****A braver man than Vernon Dursley would have quailed under the furious look Hagrid now gave him; when Hagrid spoke, his every syllable trembled****  
****with rage.**

Many shivered. Hagrid angry was not a good image.

**"You never told him? Never told him what was in the letter Dumbledore left fer him?****  
**  
"Of course not," Snape said, "Petunia hates magic."  
"How well did you know my mum," Harry asked, no longer containing his curiosity. But Snape ignored him.

**I was there! I saw Dumbledore leave it, Dursley! An' you've kept it from him all these years?"****  
****"Kept what from me?" said Harry eagerly.****  
****"STOP! I FORBID YOU!" yelled Uncle Vernon in panic.**

"Oh not good," Cho murmured.

**Aunt Petunia gave a gasp of horror.**

"Look at who agrees with you," Ginny said, and Harry laughed along with everyone. Cho was slightly hurt. Did Harry no longer like her?

**"Ah, go boil yet heads, both of yeh," said Hagrid. "Harry - yer a****  
****wizard."****There was silence inside the hut. Only the sea and the whistling wind could be heard.****  
****"- a what?" gasped Harry.**

"That was your reaction," Draco asked incredulously.  
"Give me a break; it would be like someone said you were a muggle."  
"Impossible," Harry said, giving Malfoy a cold glare.  
"That's exactly how I responded," a first year Gryffindor girl said. Many muggle born nodded.

**"A wizard, o' course," said Hagrid, sitting back down on the sofa, which groaned and sank even lower, "an' a thumpin' good'un, I'd say, once yeh've been trained up a bit.**

"Isn't that the truth," Hermione said.  
"I'm not that good," Harry said blushing.

**With a mum an' dad like yours, what else would yeh be?**

"Second thing I learned," Harry said thoughtfully.  
"And nowhere near the last," Remus said, squeezing his shoulder and sighing. Harry should have known more about his family.  
**  
****An' I reckon it's abou' time yeh read yer letter."**

"FINALLY," was heard all around the hall.

**Harry stretched out his hand at last to take the yellowish envelope, addressed in emerald green to****  
****Mr. H. Potter, ****  
****The Floor, ****  
****Hut-on-the-Rock, ****  
****The Sea.****  
****He pulled out the letter and read:****  
****HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY****  
****Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE (Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme****  
****Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)****  
****Dear Mr. Potter,****  
****We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.****  
****Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.****  
****Yours sincerely,****  
****Minerva McGonagall,****  
****Deputy Headmistress****  
****Questions exploded inside Harry's head like fireworks and he couldn't decide which to ask first. After a few minutes he stammered, "What does****  
****it mean, they await my owl?"**

"It was the last thing I read," Harry said before anyone could comment.

**"Gallopin' Gorgons, that reminds me,"**

"Gallopin gorgons, we're going to have to remember that one," Fred said as George wrote it down.  
**  
****said Hagrid, clapping a hand to his forehead with enough force to knock over a cart horse, and from yet another pocket inside his overcoat he pulled an owl - a real, live, rather ruffled-looking owl**

"Oh that poor owl," Luna said, glaring at Hagrid's seat.  
"Don't worry, Luna, he looked quite comfy. Hagrid's coat is very soft and warm." Harry consoled the small but ferocious witch.

**a long quill, and a roll of parchment. With his tongue between his teeth he scribbled a note that Harry could****  
****read upside down:**

"I can barely read his handwriting right side up," Dumbledore chuckled.  
**  
****Dear Professor Dumbledore,****  
****Given Harry his letter.****Taking him to buy his things tomorrow. Weather's horrible. Hope you're Well.****  
****Hagrid**

"Hagrid," McGonagall groaned, "why didn't he mention that they were awful."  
"He didn't know," Harry suggested, and the head of the lions blushed deeply.

**Hagrid rolled up the note, gave it to the owl, which clamped it in its****  
****beak, went to the door, and threw the owl out into the storm.****  
**  
Luna growled almost inaudibly.  
**  
****then he came back and sat down as though this was as normal as talking on the telephone.****  
**  
"More normal than talking on the fellytone," Ron said.  
"Well you shouted into the phone, Ron, that might have something to do with it," Harry said, making a thinking face.  
"We'll corrupt you yet, Harry," the twins cried.  
"Nope. Who's going to save the world then?" Harry laughed.  
"You can do both," Fred began.  
"Because you're Harry freaking potter," George finished and many could not hold back their giggles.

**Harry realized his mouth was open and closed it quickly.******

"Star struck, Potter?" Draco teased.  
"Like I said to Hermione, when some unidentified giant comes into your house, terrifies your relatives, and tells you you're a wizard, give me a call," Harry teased back.  
**  
****"Where was I?" said Hagrid, but at that moment, Uncle Vernon, still ashen-faced but looking very angry, moved into the firelight.****  
**  
Everyone groaned as one.

**"He's not going,"**

"Like you could stop," Mr. Weasley scoffed.  
**  
****he said. Hagrid grunted.****  
****"I'd like ter see a great Muggle like you stop him," he said.****  
****"A what?" said Harry, interested.****  
****"A Muggle," said Hagrid, "it's what we call nonmagic folk like thern.****  
****An' it's your bad luck you grew up in a family o' the biggest Muggles******

"Figuratively and literally," Ron said.  
Harry laughed.

**ever laid eyes on."****  
****"We swore when we took him in we'd put a stop to that rubbish," said Uncle Vernon, "swore we'd stamp it out of him!****  
**  
Many people darkened at the words "stamp out."

"Did that mean," the twins looked over to Harry and mouthed, "did he hit you?"  
Harry just mouthed, "we'll talk later," which basically confirmed their suspicions.  
**  
****Wizard indeed!"****  
****"You knew?" said Harry. "You knew I'm a - a wizard?"****  
****"Knew!" shrieked Aunt Petunia suddenly. "Knew! Of course we knew! How could you not be, my dratted sister being what she was? Oh, she got a letter just like that and disappeared off to that-that school-and came home every vacation with her pockets full of frog spawn, turning teacups****  
****into rats******

"Wait we can do magic at home?" the twins said.  
"I believe that was accidental magic," Dumbledore said.  
"But that's supposed to stop after you go to Hogwarts."  
"Mine didn't stop," Harry said.  
"Must be in the genes, mate," Ron said.

**I was the only one who saw her for what she was - a freak!****  
**  
"She was not a freak," many said in unison. Snape looked livid.

**But for my mother and father, oh no, it was Lily this and Lily that,****  
****they were proud of having a witch in the family!"****  
**  
"As they should be," Snape growled.

******she stopped to draw a deep breath and then went ranting on. It seemed she had been wanting to say all this for years.****  
**  
"She probably did," Harry muttered.  
**  
****"Then she met that Potter at school and they left and got married and had you, and of course I knew you'd be just the same, just as strange, just as - as - abnormal******

"Well good. If Harry was normal, we'd be…" the twins gasped here, "BORING," then mock fainted. Umbridge glared but kept her mouth shut because Molly Weasley was giving her a don't-mess-with-my-kids glare.

**and then, if you please, she went and got herself blown up and we got landed with you!"****  
**  
The laughter stopped abruptly. Harry hid his head as everyone turned to stare at him again.

Hermione and Ron stared them down until they looked away, and Remus talked to Harry.  
"That's how they told you," Remus said, appalled. Harry just nodded.

**Harry had gone very white. As soon as he found his voice he said, "Blown up? You told me they died in a car crash!"****  
**  
"Bunch of lies," Ron said through gritted teeth. A window smashed somewhere in the hall. They looked and saw the window behind Neville had smashed. He fixed it with a flock of his wand, which surprised the teachers. Neville could fix anything with such ease. What had changed? Only Dumbledore noticed. Neville was subtlety holding Luna's hand.  
**  
****"CAR CRASH!" roared Hagrid, jumping up so angrily that the Dursleys scuttled back to their corner. "How could a car crash kill Lily an' James Potter? It's an outrage! A scandal! Harry Potter not knowin' his own story when every kid in our world knows his name!"****  
**  
"Unfortunately," Harry grumbled.

"Why do you say that, Potter," Draco said mockingly.  
"I don't like the fame, he said disgustedly," Malfoy looked shocked.  
"Why wouldn't you like all that fame?" Draco said incredulously.  
"Malfoy, your small brain obviously can't comprehend this, so I'll say it slowly: I'm famous because my parents sacrificed themselves for me. I'm famous because I lived when hundreds of others died at the hands of a crazy madman. Do you understand that whenever someone looks at me in awe like whoa 'he killed Voldemort' it just reminds me of that. It sucks, and I would give anything to switch lives with you."

After that small speech many looked down in guilt. How often had they stared at Harry as he walked in the hall? How often had they dreamed of being him while the whole time he had just wanted to be a normal kid.

**"But why? What****  
****happened?" Harry asked urgently.****  
****The anger faded from Hagrid's face. He looked suddenly anxious.******

"I bet he didn't expect that," Ron said, but the tension did not leave.

**"I never expected this," he said, in a low, worried voice. "I had no****  
****idea, when Dumbledore told me there might be trouble gettin' hold of yeh, how much yeh didn't know. Ah, Harry, I don' know if I'm the right person ter tell yeh but someone s gotta yeh can't go off ter Hogwarts not knowin'." ****  
**  
"Hehehehe," there was an abrupt giggling that came from Hermione.  
"What," Ron said, amusement laced in his voice. Harry started snickering.  
"Well, imagine he did go to Hogwarts without knowing. Hahaha," Hermione said, full out laughing then. Harry started. Finally all of the Gryffindor and DA were laughing their butts off, doubled over. It took five minutes for them to calm down.  
**  
****He threw a dirty look at the Dursleys.****  
****"Well, it's best yeh know as much as I can tell yeh - mind, I can't****  
****tell yeh everythin', it's a great myst'ry, parts of it..."****  
****He sat down, stared into the fire for a few seconds, and then said, "It begins, I suppose, with with a person called but it's incredible****  
****yeh don't know his name, everyone in our world knows -"****  
****"Who? "******

"You're never going to get him to say it, Harry," Remus said. "Merlin knows we tried."

**"Well - I don' like sayin' the name if I can help it. No one does."**

"See ….No one said you were wrong, Moony."

**"Why not?"****  
****"Gulpin' gargoyles, Harry, people are still scared. Blimey, this is****  
****difficult. See, there was this wizard who went... bad. As bad as you could go. Worse. Worse than worse. His name was..."****  
****Hagrid gulped, but no words came out.****  
****"Could you write it down?" Harry suggested.****  
****"Nah -can't spell it.****  
**  
"V-o-l-d-e-m-o-r-t," Hermione said slowly.  
"Hermione," Harry said, "Hagrid isn't here," she blushed and muttered for Harry to shut up.

**All right - Voldemort.****  
**  
There was a pronounced shudder in the student body.

Remus looked at Harry in awe. "You got Hagrid to say Voldemort. I can't believe it," he said faintly.

**" Hagrid shuddered. "Don'****  
****make me say it again. Anyway, this - this wizard, about twenty years ago now, started lookin' fer followers. Got 'em, too - some were afraid, some just wanted a bit o' his power, 'cause he was gettin' himself power, all right. Dark days, Harry. Didn't know who ter trust, didn't dare get friendly with strange wizards or witches... terrible things happened. He was takin' over. 'Course, some stood up to him****an' he killed 'em. Horribly.****  
**  
Harry shuddered as a vision cane to him. His mother was pleading with Voldemort and a lot of green light … Harry," Hermione said, shaking him. He opened his eyes and shook his head.  
**  
****One o' the only safe places left was Hogwarts. Reckon Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was afraid of. Didn't dare try takin' the school, not jus' then, anyway. Now, yer mum an' dad were as good a witch an' wizard as I ever knew. Head boy an' girl at Hogwarts in their day******

"No idea how James wrangled that. He was the biggest prankster of the four of us," Remus chuckled.

**Suppose the myst'ry is why****  
****You-Know-Who never tried to get 'em on his side before... probably knew they were too close ter Dumbledore ter want anythin' ter do with the Dark Side.******

"Nope they just hated his guts. Besides, they wanted retribution," Remus said.  
"What'd you mean?" Harry said, and Remus darkened.  
"Voldemort murdered James and Lilly's parents," Remus said, his hand a fist. Harry grimaced. Voldemort had taken everyone except his friends, Remus and Sirius.  
He was going to pay

**"Maybe he thought he could persuade 'em... maybe he just wanted 'em outta the way. All anyone knows is, he turned up in the village where you was all living, on Halloween ten years ago. You was just a year old.****  
****He came ter yer house an' - an' -****  
**  
Harry pulled his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. Hermione put her arm around his shoulders. Both she and Ron knew how hard it was for Harry to hear about his parents' deaths.

******Hagrid suddenly pulled out a very dirty, spotted handkerchief and blew his nose with a sound like a foghorn.****  
****"Sorry," he said. "But it's that sad - knew yer mum an' dad, an' nicer people yeh couldn't find - anyway..." "You-Know-Who killed 'em. An' then - an' this is the real myst'ry of the thing - he tried to kill you, too. Wanted ter make a clean job of it, I suppose, or maybe he just liked killin' by then.****  
**  
"Dumbledore probably knows," Harry thought.

**But he couldn't do it. Never wondered how you got that mark on yer forehead? That was no****ordinary cut. That's what yeh get when a Powerful, evil curse touches yeh - took care of yer mum an' dad an' yer house, even - but it didn work on you, an' that's why yer famous, Harry. No one ever lived after he decided ter kill 'em, no one except you, an' he'd killed some o' the****best witches an' wizards of the age - the McKinnon's******

Snuffles whined loudly, and Remus explained that Sirius was engaged to Marlene. She died on their wedding day on the way to the reception. Sirius snuffled, and Harry pet him a lot in a comforting manner.

**the Bones,****  
**  
Susan snuffled, and Amanda put an arm around her niece. The loss of her sister and brother-in-law had been hard, but it devastated Susan.

**the Prewetts****  
**  
It was the Weasleys turn to look down, Molly wiped at her eyes.

**an' you was only a baby, an' you lived."****  
****Something very painful was going on in Harry's mind. As Hagrid's story came to a close, he saw again the blinding flash of green light, more clearly than he had ever remembered it before - and he remembered something else, for the first time in his life: a high, cold, cruel laugh.****  
**  
"You remember that?" Molly gasped.  
"More now, ruddy dementors," Harry grumbled, but he felt that tug of longing. He got to hear his parent's voices even if it was their last words.

**Hagrid was watching him sadly.****  
****"Took yeh from the ruined house myself, on Dumbledore's orders. Brought yeh ter this lot..."******

"WHY HAGRID?" The twins sobbed, effectively breaking the tension.

"**Load of old tosh," said Uncle Vernon. Harry jumped; he had almost forgotten that the Dursleys were there.******

"So had we," the DA grumbled as one.  
**  
****Uncle Vernon certainly seemed to****  
****have got back his courage. He was glaring at Hagrid and his fists were clenched.****  
****"Now, you listen here, boy," he snarled, "I accept there's something strange about you, probably nothing a good beating wouldn't have cured******

,"HOW DARE HE?" The student body yelled together. Many had their wands, and the wolf patronus came back.

"Everyone you're interfering with our magic we need you to calm down. Okay, if you don't you could break the shields on Hogwarts," it said in the same calm voice. Everyone took a few deep breath, but were still furious.

**and as for all this about your parents, well, they were weirdoes, no denying it, and the world's better off without them in my****  
****opinion******

Many windows shattered around the hall. Harry sighed and fixed them.  
**  
****asked for all they got**,

The windows broke again.

**getting mixed up with these wizarding types just what I expected, always knew they'd come to a sticky end****  
**  
Harry conjured a ton of dummies that exploded on impact, and everyone threw a few curses and calmed down.  
**  
****But at that moment, Hagrid leapt from the sofa and drew a battered pink umbrella from inside his coat.****  
**  
"Yeah, go Hagrid," the twins whooped.

**Pointing this at Uncle Vernon like a sword, he said, "I'm warning you, Dursley -I'm warning you - one more word... "****  
**  
"Word!" This seemed to have been shouted out of thin air.

**In danger of being speared on the end of an umbrella by a bearded giant, Uncle Vernon's courage failed again;******

"When did he get this supposed courage?" Dean laughed.

**he flattened himself against the****wall and fell silent.****  
**  
"Wooooohoooo," many whooped.

**"That's better," said Hagrid, breathing heavily and sitting back down on the sofa, which this time sagged right down to the floor.****  
****Harry, meanwhile, still had questions to ask, hundreds of them.****  
**  
"Ask them then," Hermione encouraged.  
"Hermione, it's a book Harry said," Hermione hit him over the head with her cheeks as red as apples.

**"But what happened to Vol-, sorry - I mean, You-Know-Who?"******

"Woah woah woah, read that again, Luna," Harry said. ,"You-Know-Who," Ron questioned.  
"How long did that last?" Ron Harry smirked.

**"Good question, Harry. Disappeared. Vanished. Same night he tried ter kill you. Makes yeh even more famous. That's the biggest myst'ry, see... he was gettin' more an' more powerful why'd he go?****  
****"Some say he died. Codswallop, in my opinion. Dunno if he had enough human left in him to die.****  
**  
"He didn't," Harry said.  
"He's not back," Fudge said through gritted teeth.  
"Keep telling yourself that," the wolf patronus said. It had stayed to monitor something and was watching an empty beanbag chair.  
"So you believe a mad man," Umbridge sneered.  
"His parents were killed by Voldemort, He was almost killed by Voldemort. why would he say that he was back. What would he get out of that?" The wolf questioned in her unforgettable voice.

**Some say he's still out there, bidin' his time, like, but I don' believe it. People who was on his side came back ter ours. Some of 'em came outta kinda trances. Don~ reckon they could've done if he was comin' back.****  
****"Most of us reckon he's still out there somewhere but lost his powers. Too weak to carry on. 'Cause somethin' about you finished him, Harry. There was somethin' goin' on that night he hadn't counted on I dunno****  
****what it was, no one does- but somethin' about you stumped him, all right."****  
****Hagrid looked at Harry with warmth and respect blazing in his eyes, but Harry, instead of feeling pleased and proud, felt quite sure there had been a horrible mistake. A wizard? Him? How could he possibly be? He'd spent his life being clouted by Dudley,******

Growls.

**and bullied by Aunt Petunia and****  
****Uncle Vernon; if he was really a wizard, why hadn't they been turned into warty toads every time they'd tried to lock him in his cupboard?******

"Not the way that works, cub," Remus said, ruffling his hair.  
**  
****If he'd once defeated the greatest sorcerer in the world, how come Dudley had always been able to kick him around like a football?****  
****"Hagrid," he said quietly, "I think you must have made a mistake. I****  
****don't think I can be a wizard."****  
**  
"Yeah right," Neville scoffed. "You're one of the best wizards in our year."  
Harry blushed, "No I'm not."  
"Actually, Mr. Potter, you're the third in your year, just under Ms. Granger and Ms. Patil," Professor McGonagall complimented, and Harry's blush deepened.  
**  
****To his surprise, Hagrid chuckled.****  
****"Not a wizard, eh? Never made things happen when you were scared or angry?"****  
**  
"Hmm I don't know Gred," George said, "possibly letting loose a giant boa forge," Fred laughed to snickers from the hall.

**Harry looked into the fire. Now he came to think about it... every odd****  
****thing that had ever made his aunt and uncle furious with him had****  
****happened when he, Harry, had been upset or angry chased by Dudley's gang, he had somehow found himself out of their reach dreading going to school with that ridiculous haircut, he'd managed to make it grow back. and the very last time Dudley had hit him, hadn't he got his revenge, without even realizing he was doing it? Hadn't he set a boa constrictor on him?****  
**  
"No," Luna said in her dreamy voice, "you just let her out."  
"Her," Harry said.  
"Yes, that boa was probably a girl. The boys would have done more than snap at that hippo's ankles."  
Many laughed again.

**Harry looked back at Hagrid, smiling, and saw that Hagrid was positively beaming at him.****  
****"See?" said Hagrid. "Harry Potter, not a wizard - you wait, you'll be****  
****right famous at Hogwarts."****  
****But Uncle Vernon wasn't going to give in without a fight.******

"Uuughghhh," many groaned and snuffles hid his snout under his paws.

**"Haven't I told you he's not going?" he hissed. "He's going to Stonewall High and he'll be grateful for it. I've read those letters and he needs all sorts of rubbish spell books and wands and****  
****If he wants ter go, a great Muggle like you won't stop him," growled****  
****Hagrid. "Stop Lily an' James Potter' s son goin' ter Hogwarts! Yer mad.******

"You just realized that?" Cho said faintly and Harry just sighed.  
**  
****His name's been down ever since he was born. He's off ter the finest****  
****school of witchcraft and wizardry in the world. Seven years there and he won't know himself. He'll be with youngsters of his own sort, fer a change, an' he'll be under the greatest headmaster Hogwarts ever had Albus Dumbled-"****  
****"I AM NOT PAYING FOR SOME CRACKPOT OLD FOOL To TEACH HIM MAGIC TRICKS!"****  
**  
"Oooooohhhhh," many said leaning forward.  
**  
****yelled Uncle Vernon. But he had finally gone too far. Hagrid seized his umbrella and whirled****  
****it over his head, "NEVER," he thundered, "- INSULT- ALBUS- DUMBLEDORE IN- FRONT- OF- ME!" He brought the umbrella swishing down through the air to point at Dudley there was a flash of violet light, a sound like a firecracker, a sharp squeal, and the next second, Dudley was dancing on the spot with his hands clasped over his fat bottom, howling in pain. When he turned his back on them, Harry saw a curly pig's tail poking through a hole in his trousers.******

There was a great cheering and many started laughing. Umbridge smiled her toady smile.  
"Hagrid isn't allowed to do magic; he must be sent to Azkaban," she sneered.  
"Ahh, but Madam Umbridge, I had allowed the temporary use of his magic, so he is how you say 'in the clear'," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling.

**Uncle Vernon roared. Pulling Aunt Petunia and Dudley into the other****  
****room, he cast one last terrified look at Hagrid and slammed the door behind them.****Hagrid looked down at his umbrella and stroked his beard.****  
****"Shouldn'ta lost me temper," he said ruefully, "but it didn't work****  
****anyway. Meant ter turn him into a pig, but I suppose he was so much like a pig anyway there wasn't much left ter do."******

There was an uproarious laughter at that.

**He cast a sideways look at Harry under his bushy eyebrows.****  
****"Be grateful if yeh didn't mention that ter anyone at Hogwarts," he****  
****said. "I'm - er not supposed ter do magic, strictly speakin'. I was****  
****allowed ter do a bit ter follow yeh an' get yer letters to yeh an' stuff****  
****one o' the reasons I was so keen ter take on the job******

Umbridge huffed.  
**  
****"Why aren't you supposed to do magic?" asked Harry.****  
****"Oh, well I was at Hogwarts meself but I er got expelled, ter****  
****tell yeh the truth. In me third year. They snapped me wand in half an' everything. But Dumbledore let me stay on as gamekeeper. Great man, Dumbledore."****  
**  
"That's the truth," the DA said as one, but Harry felt that normal hurt in his heart, as Dumbledore looked away from him, as he had been doing all year. What had he done to upset Dumbledore so much?  
"You let Voldemort come back and Cedric get killed," that snide voice in the back of his head sneered, he tried unsuccessfully to push it away.

**"Why were you expelled?"****  
**  
"You'll never find out. We tried," Remus said. Then he saw the trio's faces, "You found out?" he asked with disbelief written all over his features.

"Second book," was all Ron would say.  
**  
****"It's gettin' late and we've got lots ter do tomorrow," said Hagrid****  
****loudly. "Gotta get up ter town, get all yer books an' that."****  
****He took off his thick black coat and threw it to Harry.****  
****"You can kip under that," he said. "Don' mind if it wriggles a bit, I****  
****think I still got a couple o' dormice in one o' the pockets."******

"Oh ewww," many girls shrieked and Luna looked up.  
"That's the end. Who would like to go next?"  
Harry looked at the title and flew the book to the Slytherin section of the room.  
"Malfoy reads," he said with a smirk.  
Draco cautiously looked at the title, then groaned.

"Diagon Ally," he said halfheartedly.

**Hello that wasn't my best was it but im working hard on the next chapter already trying to push it out in a week maybe two hoping your still reading**

** Watch out for nargles in your mistletoe**

** Andie **


	8. HELP PLEASE

**Hello I'm so sorry this is not a chapter but I've hit a block. Every time I try to write anything for this story it turns out to be gobbledygook and it makes me unhappy. So I'm sending out a plea anyone who has any story ideas please anything could be helpful.**

**Andie**


	9. DIAGON ALLEY

_**HELLO INM BACK THANK YOU THANK YOU I WILL BR TRYING TO COME AROUND FOR THIS STORY**_

DISCLAIMER I DONT OWN HARRY POTTER

There was another short break, and the DA walked over to the wolf patronus.

"Who are you?" Neville asked not beating around the bush.

"My name should remain a secret, but if you wish I will arrange to meet with you. your probably wondering why I brought the books and why everyone must read them. the Truth is they involve everyone's lives. so we thought it would be best if you knew," it said looking at them with sage eyes.

"We? there are more of you?" Hermione said.

"You did hear my annoying god brother before right?" it asked them. Umbridge hemmed and they walked black to their seats pondering their new information.

Draco picked up the book apprehensively.

**DIAGON ALLEY**

**Harry woke early the next morning. Although he could tell it was**

**Daylight, he kept his eyes shut tight.**

**"It was a dream,**

"Oh Harry does anything good have to be a dream?" Hermione groaned.

"My luck says yes," Harry joked and Hermione hit him over the head.

**He told himself firmly. "I dreamed a giant called Hagrid came to tell me I was going to a school for wizards. When I open my eyes I'll be at home in my cupboard."**

Many grumbled at the fact he considered the cupboard his. Harry banged his head on the table, "I hate sympathy" he muttered.

**There was suddenly a loud tapping noise.**

**And there's Aunt Petunia knocking on the door, Harry thought, his heart sinking. But he still didn't open his eyes. It had been such a good dream.**

"We're dreaming," Fred asked feeling his hair.

"Wow. it's so vivid," George teased and they felt success as Harry chuckled.

**Tap. Tap. Tap.**

**"All right," Harry mumbled, "I'm getting up."**

**He sat up and Hagrid's heavy coat fell off him. The hut was full of**

**sunlight, the storm was over, Hagrid himself was asleep on the collapsed sofa, and there was an owl rapping its claw on the window, a newspaper held in its beak. Harry scrambled to his feet, so happy he felt as though a large balloon was swelling inside** him.

"Hmm that sounds fun," Luna grinned, thinking about that, poking her own tummy. Neville snickered and Harry grinned noticing them holding hands.

**He went straight to the window and jerked it open. The owl swooped in and dropped the newspaper on top of Hagrid, who didn't wake up. The owl then fluttered onto the floor and began to attack Hagrid's coat**

"I thought of that," Umbridge said drawing herself up proudly. many looked at her with "crazy chick" looks.

**"Don't do that."**

**Harry tried to wave the owl out of the way, but it snapped its beak**

**fiercely at him and carried on savaging the coat.**

**"Hagrid!" said Harry loudly. "There's an owl**

**"Pay him," Hagrid grunted into the sofa.**

"He won't know what that means," Hermione groaned.

**"What?"**

"See," she said.

"No one said you were wrong, Mione" Harry teased.

**"He wants payin' fer deliverin' the paper. Look in the pockets."**

**Hagrid's coat seemed to be made of nothing but pockets - bunches of keys, slug pellets, balls of string, peppermint humbugs, teabags...**

**finally, Harry pulled out a handful of strange-looking coins.**

**"Give him five Knuts," said Hagrid sleepily.**

She groaned again.

**"Knuts?"**

**"The little bronze ones."**

**Harry counted out five little bronze coins, and the owl held out his leg so Harry could put the money into a small leather pouch tied to it. Then he flew off through the open window.**

**Hagrid yawned loudly, sat up, and stretched.**

"If he was getting up anyway why'd he confuse you?" she said.

"He probably wanted me to get used to the money, Hermione" Harry explained and sh blushed.

**"Best be Off, Harry, lots ter do today, gotta get up ter London an' buy all yer stuff fer school."**

**Harry was turning over the wizard coins and looking at them. He had just thought of something that made him feel as though the happy balloon inside him had got a puncture**.

"NOOOO NOT THE HAPPY FUN BALOON WHHHYYYYY!" the twins sobbed hugging each other. everyone burst out laughing as Mrs. Wesley scolded the twins, who smiled at her meekly.

**"Um - Hagrid?"**

**"Mm?" said Hagrid, who was pulling on his huge boots**

**"I haven't got any money - and you heard Uncle Vernon last night ... he won't pay for me to go and learn magic."**

"Yeah you have to worry about money," Draco scoffed "the potters are the richest wizarding family to the day."

"Really?" Harry asked confused.

"Are you kidding me? the Malfoy fortune is only half of one of your vaults," he scoffed. Harry felt light headed.

"Do you happen to know how many vaults I have?" he asked dazed.

"About thirty," Draco said watching Harry's reactions amusedly.

"Okay I don't care about bloody pride. you guys are taking like five of my vaults off my hands," Harry ordered turning a stern glare at the Weasley's who blushed, "it's the least I can do seeing as you guys take Care of me every summer. got it?" they nodded mutely.

**"Don't worry about that," said Hagrid, standing up and scratching his**

**head. "D'yeh think yer parents didn't leave yeh anything?"**

**"But if their house was destroyed -"**

Draco barley held back a groan.

**"They didn' keep their gold in the house, boy! Nah, first stop fer us is**

**Gringotts. Wizards' bank. Have a sausage, they're not bad cold - an' I**

**wouldn' say no teh a bit o' yer birthday cake, neither."**

**"Wizards have banks?"**

"Nope, we keep all our gold in our socks," the twins said seriously.

"I know I do but that keeps wrack spurts from eating my toenails," Luna said wiggling her bare feet.

"Why are your feet bare?" Neville Murmured.

"Someone has taken all of my possessions and hidden them. I suspect the nargles," Luna confessed and Flitwick gasped.

"I take it you didn't know?" Neville said to Flitwick.

"Certainly not! students of my house," Flitwick said his eyes hardened "we will be having a serious conversation."

**"Just the one. Gringotts. Run by goblins."**

**Harry dropped the bit of sausage he was holding.**

"That threw me for a loop too," Dean said.

**"Goblins?"**

**"Yeah - so yeh'd be mad ter try an' rob it, I'll tell yeh that. Never**

**mess with goblins, Harry. Gringotts is the safest place in the world fer anything yeh want ter keep safe - 'cept maybe Hogwarts. As a matter o'fact, I gotta visit Gringotts anyway. Fer Dumbledore. Hogwarts business." Hagrid drew himself up proudly. "He usually gets me ter do important stuff fer him. Fetchin' you gettin' things from Gringotts knows he can trust me, see.**

**"Got everythin'? Come on, then."**

**Harry followed Hagrid out onto the rock. The sky was quite clear now and the sea gleamed in the sunlight. The boat Uncle Vernon had hired was still there, with a lot of water in the bottom after the storm.**

"How did they get back?" Hermione said and Harry winced.

"The coast guard gave them a ride back. I got punished for that," he added softly to himself.

**"How did you get here?" Harry asked, looking around for another boat.**

**"Flew," said Hagrid.**

"Flew?" Ron said amazedly.

"Flew?" George questioned .

"Flew." Fred answered.

This continued for a while but finally Harry put his hands on his ears. "next person to say flew is getting hexed badly."

Draco cleared his throat.

"Say it," Harry groaned.

**"Flew?"**

Harry groaned. he now had a headache.

**"Yeah - but we'll go back in this. Not s'pposed ter use magic now I've**

**got yeh."**

Awww the twins pouted. then booed.

**They settled down in the boat, Harry still staring at Hagrid, trying to**

**imagine him flying.**

"So are we," most of the lions chorused.

**"Seems a shame ter row, though," said Hagrid, giving Harry another of his sideways looks. "If I was ter - er - speed things up a bit, would**

**yeh mind not mentionin' it at Hogwarts?"**

"Of course not," Luna said.

**"Of course not," said Harry**

Luna smirked.

**eager to see more magic. Hagrid pulled out the pink umbrella again, tapped it twice on the side of the boat, and they sped off toward land.**

Umbridge grumbled at the blatant use of magic.

"**Why would you be mad to try and rob Gringotts?" Harry asked.**

**"Spells - enchantments," said Hagrid, unfolding his newspaper as he**

**spoke. "They say there's dragons guardin' the highsecurity vaults.**

The wolf chuckled and walked closer to the DA and sat on its haunches surveying the hall.

"What?" Harry asked.

"Oh, the irony seventh book" the wolf said between snickers.

**And then yeh gotta find yer way - Gringotts is hundreds of miles under London, see. Deep under the Underground. Yeh'd die of hunger tryin' ter get out, even if yeh did manage ter get yer hands on summat."**

**Harry sat and thought about this while Hagrid read his newspaper, the Daily Prophet. Harry had learned from Uncle Vernon that people liked to be left alone while they did this, but it was very difficult, he'd never had so many questions in his life.**

"Hagrid wouldn't have minded," ron said.

**"Ministry o' Magic messin' things up as usual," Hagrid muttered, turning the page.**

"Excuse me," fudge said miffed and the DA rolled their eyes.

**"There's a Ministry of Magic?" Harry asked, before he could stop**

**himself.**

**"'Course," said Hagrid. "They wanted Dumbledore fer Minister, 0 '**

**course, but he'd never leave Hogwarts, so old Cornelius Fudge got the job. Bungler if ever there was one.**

"WHAT! HOW DARE THAT FILTHY HALFBREED DARE SAY A WORD AGAINST THE GREATEST MINISTER IN THE WORLD!" Umbridge shrieked and Cornelius fudge looked pompously at the hall. the DA just rolled their eyes snickering.

**So he pelts Dumbledore with owls every morning, askin' fer advice."**

"I do not," fudge roared.

Percy almost let out a laugh. even now the minister gave Dumbledore tons of owls everyday. Percy managed his mail.

**"But what does a Ministry of Magic do?"**

**"Well, their main job is to keep it from the Muggle's that there's still**

**witches an' wizards up an' down the country."**

"That's a very basic version of what we do," ms. Bones said.

**"Why?"**

**"Why? Blimey, Harry, everyone'd be wantin' magic solutions to their**

**problems. Nah, we're best left alone."**

"Yeah leave us alone Harvey," the twins said and turned the cold shoulder to Harry, who cracked a grin and conjured a bucket of cold water and dumped it on their heads.

**At this moment the boat bumped gently into the harbor wall. Hagrid**

**folded up his newspaper, and they clambered up the stone steps onto the street. Passersby stared a lot at Hagrid as they walked through the little town to the station.**

"Why would they stare at Hagrid?" Luna asked with complete sincerity.

"Uh Luna… he's a bit bigger than a normal muggle so he was a bit…. Well…different" Neville tried to explain.

"Different is good," Luna said.

"Right about that," Neville agreed.

**Harry couldn't blame them. Not only was Hagrid twice as tall as anyone else, he kept pointing at perfectly ordinary things like parking meters and saying loudly, "See that, Harry? Things these Muggles dream up, eh?"**

"Well I do suppose that would be a bit well distracting" Luna said.

**"Hagrid," said Harry, panting a bit as he ran to keep up, "did you say**

**There are dragons at Gringotts?"**

Charlie glared at Bill "there better not be…" and he proceeded to lecture Bill on dragons needs to keep them in perfect condition and healthy.

**"Well, so they say," said Hagrid. "Crake, I'd like a dragon."**

**"You'd like one?"**

Harry Hermione and Ron could not hold back groans and quiet curses.

**"Wanted one ever since I was a kid - here we go."**

**They had reached the station. There was a train to London in five**

**minutes' time. Hagrid, who didn't understand "Muggle money," as he**

**called it, gave the bills to Harry so he could buy their tickets.**

**People stared more than ever on the train. Hagrid took up two seats and sat knitting what looked like a canary-yellow circus tent.**

"I remember that," Ron said "its lining fangs basket."

"Figures the circus tent is really a blanket. are you hallucinating Mr. Potter?" Hermione teased.

**"Still got yer letter, Harry?" **

"No. he dropped it off at home while you weren't looking," the wolf quietly said.

**As he asked as he counted stitches. Harry took the parchment envelope out of his pocket.**

**"Good," said Hagrid. "There's a list there of everything yeh need."**

**Harry unfolded a second piece of paper he hadn't noticed the night**

**before, and read:**

**HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY**

**UNIFORM**

**First-year students will require:**

**1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)**

**2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear**

"We don't even wear those," Ron complained.

"But they can come in handy," Harry said waggling his eyebrows at Seamus who blushed and told Harry to shut up

**3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)**

**4. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)**

**Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags**

**COURSE BOOKS**

**All students should have a copy of each of the following:**

**The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk**

**A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot**

**Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling**

**A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration by Emetic Switch**

**One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore**

**Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger**

**Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander**

**The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble**

"Okay did anyone else feel the déjavou with those names?" Cho Chang asked and she received many head nods.

**OTHER EQUIPMENT**

**Wand**

**Cauldron (pewter, standard size 2) set**

**Glass or crystal phials**

**Telescope set**

**Brass scales**

**Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad**

**PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED**

**THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS**

"Did you hear that potter?" Terry Boot said teasingly.

"Loud and clear Terry. loud and clear," Harry replied.

"**Can we buy all this in London?" Harry wondered aloud.**

**"If yeh know where to go," said Hagrid.**

"Oooooo mysterious," Luna said beating the twins to the punch.

"I do believe that girl is quite scarier than the Weasley twins," McGonagall whispered to Snape who shuddered.

"Please never say those words again."

**Harry had never been to London before. Although Hagrid seemed to know where he was going, he was obviously not used to getting there in an ordinary way. He got stuck in the ticket barrier on the Underground, and complained loudly that the seats were too small and the trains too slow.**

"Muggie alert!" Ron shouted.

**"I don't know how the Muggles manage without magic," he said as they climbed a broken-down escalator that led up to a bustling road lined with shops. Hagrid was so huge that he parted the crowd easily; all Harry had to do was keep close behind him. They passed book shops and music stores, hamburger restaurants and cinemas, but nowhere that looked as if it could sell you a magic wand. This was just an ordinary street full of ordinary people. Could there really be piles of wizard gold buried miles beneath them? Were there really shops that sold spell books and, broomsticks? Might this not all be some huge joke that the Dursleys had cooked up?**

"Yes. Yes, and no silly boy," Dean said "The Dursleys don't have imagination."

**If Harry hadn't known that the Dursleys had no sense of humor, he might have thought so; yet somehow, even though everything Hagrid had told him so far was unbelievable, Harry couldn't help trusting him.**

"Hagrid just has that feeling around him," Dumbledore said and Umbridge sneered.

**"This is it," said Hagrid, coming to a halt, "the Leaky Cauldron. It's a**

**famous place**."

"Why is it famous?" Harry asked.

"It's the first place in Britain that connected the muggle world with the wizarding world," Remus answered.

**It was a tiny, grubby-looking pub. If Hagrid hadn't pointed it out,**

**Harry wouldn't have noticed it was there. The people hurrying by didn't glance at it. Their eyes slid from the big book shop on one side to the record shop on the other as if they couldn't see the Leaky Cauldron at all. In fact, Harry had the most peculiar feeling that only he and Hagrid could see it. **

"You could feel that Mr. Potter?" Flitwick squeaked.

"Uh… yes sir," Harry said confusedly.

"That's very advanced magic Harry," Arthur said his eyes wide.

**Before he could mention this, Hagrid had steered him inside.**

**For a famous place, it was very dark and shabby. A few old women were sitting in a corner, drinking tiny glasses of sherry. One of them was smoking a long pipe. A little man in a top hat was talking to the old bartender, who was quite bald and looked like a toothless walnut. The low buzz of chatter stopped when they walked in. Everyone seemed to know Hagrid; they waved and smiled at him, and the bartender reached for a glass, saying, "The usual, Hagrid?"**

**"Can't, Tom, I'm on Hogwarts business," said Hagrid, clapping his great hand on Harry's shoulder and making Harry's knees buckle.**

**"Good Lord," said the bartender, peering at Harry, "is this - can this**

**be -?"**

**The Leaky Cauldron had suddenly gone completely still and silent.**

**"Bless my soul," whispered the old bartender, "Harry Potter... what an**

**honor."**

"Great… my first crowd," Harry groaned.

"Aww saint potter afraid of some wizards?" Draco sneered.

"Terrified actually," Harry said as if commenting on the weather, "they all rushed me like lambs to the slaughter. very confusing and overwhelming."

**He hurried out from behind the bar, rushed toward Harry and seized his hand, tears in his eyes.**

**"Welcome back, Mr. Potter, welcome back."**

**Harry didn't know what to say. Everyone was looking at him. The old**

**woman with the pipe was puffing on it without realizing it had gone out. Hagrid was beaming.**

**Then there was a great scraping of chairs and the next moment, Harry found himself shaking hands with everyone in the Leaky Cauldron.**

**"Doris Crockford, Mr. Potter, can't believe I'm meeting you at last."**

**"So proud, Mr. Potter, I'm just so proud."**

**"Always wanted to shake your hand - I'm all of a flutter."**

**"Delighted, Mr. Potter, just can't tell you, Diggle's the name, Dedalus**

**Diggle."**

McGonagall sighed that man didn't have any sense whatsoever.

**"I've seen you before!" said Harry, as Dedalus Diggle's top hat fell off**

**in his excitement. "You bowed to me once in a shop."**

**"He remembers!" cried Dedalus Diggle, looking around at everyone. "Did you hear that? He remembers me!" Harry shook hands again and again Doris Crockford kept coming back for more.**

**A pale young man made his way forward, very nervously. One of his eyes was twitching**

Harry growled lowly and the lights flickered slightly. the wolf was instantly by his side.

"Control your magic Harry its noticeable now," it advised and Harry reigned it back in quickly.

**"Professor Quirrell!" said Hagrid. "Harry, Professor Quirrell will be**

**one of your teachers at Hogwarts."**

**"P-P-Potter," stammered Professor Quirrell, grasping Harry's hand,**

**"c-can't t-tell you how p- pleased I am to meet you."**

**"What sort of magic do you teach, Professor Quirrell?"**

**"D-Defense Against the D-D-Dark Arts," muttered Professor Quirrell, as though he'd rather not think about it. "N-not that you n-need it, eh,mP-P-Potter?" He laughed nervously. "You'll be g-getting all your**

**equipment, I suppose? I've g-got to p-pick up a new b-book on vampires, m-myself." He looked terrified at the very thought.**

"That stutter was bloody annoying," Ron said.

"Ron!" Mrs. Weasley yelled "language!"

**But the others wouldn't let Professor Quirrell keep Harry to himself. It took almost ten minutes to get away from them all. At last, Hagrid**

**managed to make himself heard over the babble.**

**"Must get on - lots ter buy. Come on, Harry."**

**Doris Crockford shook Harry's hand one last time, and Hagrid led them through the bar and out into a small, walled courtyard, where there was nothing but a trash can and a few weeds.**

"For god's sake someone should explain that part," Collin Creevy groaned and many muggle-borns nodded.

"May I ask why Mr. Creevy?" McGonagall asked.

"Well… ma'am no one tells you what's going on. my parents and I thought we were going to be mugged and murdered," Collin said shyly now that everyone was focused on him.

"Bloody right!" Dean agreed and Draco just rolled his eyes and kept reading.

**Hagrid grinned at Harry.**

**"Told yeh, didn't I? Told yeh you was famous. Even Professor Quirrell**

**was tremblin' ter meet yeh - mind you, he's usually tremblin'."**

**"Is he always that nervous?"**

**"Oh, yeah. Poor bloke. Brilliant mind. He was fine while he was**

**studyin' outta books but then he took a year off ter get some firsthand experience... They say he met vampires in the Black Forest, and there was a nasty bit o' trouble with a hag - never been the same since. Scared of the students, scared of his own subject now, **

"No, he just met Voldemort," Harry said.

"Mr. Potter how could he meet someone who's dead?" Umbridge asked sweetly.

"I don't know… maybe cause he's not dead," Harry asked.

"DETENTION MR POTTER!" Umbridge shrieked.

"What happened to freedom of speech what was the detention for?"

"Speaking to an elder with such frivolity," umbridge sneered.

"Well you can't give me detention remember?" Harry said sweetly.

**Where's me umbrella?"**

**Vampires? Hags? Harry's head was swimming. Hagrid, meanwhile, was counting bricks in the wall above the trash can.**

**"Three up... two across he muttered. "Right, stand back, Harry."**

**He tapped the wall three times with the point of his umbrella.**

**The brick he had touched quivered - it wriggled - in the middle, a**

**small hole appeared - it grew wider and wider - a second later they**

**were facing an archway large enough even for Hagrid, an archway onto a cobbled street that twisted and turned out of sight.**

"That's so cool," Ron said in a hushed voice.

**"Welcome," said Hagrid, "to Diagon Alley."**

**He grinned at Harry's amazement. They stepped through the archway. Harry looked quickly over his shoulder and saw the archway shrink instantly back into solid wall. The sun shone brightly on a stack of cauldrons outside the nearest shop. Cauldrons - All Sizes - Copper, Brass, Pewter, Silver - Self-Stirring**

**- Collapsible, said a sign hanging over them.**

**"Yeah, you'll be needin' one," said Hagrid, "but we gotta get yer money first."**

**Harry wished he had about eight more eyes. He turned his head in every direction as they walked up the street, trying to look at everything at once: the shops, the things outside them, the people doing their shopping. A plump woman outside an Apothecary was shaking her head as they passed, saying, "Dragon liver, seventeen Sickles an ounce, they're mad..."**

Mrs. Weasley blushed madly as her kids ogled at her.

"Well they were mad for that price," she said and Snape quietly agreed with her.

**A low, soft hooting came from a dark shop with a sign saying Eeylops Owl Emporium - Tawny, Screech, Barn, Brown, and Snowy. Several boys of about Harry's age had their noses pressed against a window with broomsticks in it. "Look," Harry heard one of them say, "the new Nimbus Two Thousand - fastest ever -" There were shops selling robes, shops selling telescopes and strange silver instruments Harry had never seen before, windows stacked with barrels of bat spleens and eels' eyes, tottering piles of spell books, quills, and rolls of parchment, potion bottles, globes of the moon...**

**"Gringotts," said Hagrid**

Harry smiled he loved that bank.

**They had reached a snowy white building that towered over the other little shops. Standing beside its burnished bronze doors, wearing a**

**Uniform of scarlet and gold, was –**

"woo woo a Gryffindor goblin!" the twins cheered to eye rolls.

"Mr. Weasley's I suggest you sit down now," Umbridge said with forced politeness and suddenly the door banged open. many screamed and the teachers and DA drew their wands but quickly put them down when they saw it was only Kinsley Mad-Eye and Tonks .

"We're back," Tonks said cheerfully.

"Sorry we took so long" Kingsley apologized as he and Moody sat at the heads table Tonks decided to sit by Remus, "the office wanted us to train some new recruits."

**"Yeah, that's a goblin," said Hagrid quietly as they walked up the white**

**stone steps toward him. The goblin was about a head shorter than Harry.**

"Midget," Ron coughed.

**He had a swarthy, clever face, a pointed beard and, Harry noticed, very**

**long fingers and feet. He bowed as they walked inside. Now they were**

**facing a second pair of doors, silver this time, with words engraved**

**Upon them:**

The book was suddenly floating out of Draco's hands and flew into Luna's.

"I love this line. I'm reading it," she said and settled back on Neville's shoulder.

**Enter, stranger, but take heed **

**Of what awaits the sin of greed,**

**For those who take, but do not earn,**

**Must pay most dearly in their turn.**

**So if you seek beneath our floors**

**A treasure that was never yours,**

**Thief, you have been warned, beware**

**Of finding more than treasure there.**

Luna banished it back into Draco's hands.

"Loony," Cho said rolling her eyes.

"Excuse me?" Neville said his eyes narrowing.

"Honestly how can you like her?" Padma said, "she's insane and makes absolutely no sense."

Luna's eyes watered and Hermione gave her a hug as the DA instantly began defending their young member. even Parvati was screaming at her twin sister! Neville at the lead. the Ravenclaws in turn were yelling right back at them. just as the wands came out McGonagall and Flitwick intervened.

"Honestly! 10 points from all of your houses!" McGonagall said "and detention Chang and Patil! Padma not you Parvati"

"And 5 points to Longbottom for sticking up for a friend," Flitwick added quietly and everyone sat down. Luna was now being comforted by Neville but she was still crying. Draco uncomfortably read on.

**"Like I said, Yeh'd be mad ter try an' rob it," said Hagrid.**

**A pair of goblins bowed them through the silver doors and they were in a**

**vast marble hall. About a hundred more goblins were sitting on high**

**stools behind a long counter, scribbling in large ledgers, weighing**

**coins in brass scales, examining precious stones through eyeglasses.**

**There were too many doors to count leading off the hall, and yet more**

**goblins were showing people in and out of these. Hagrid and Harry made**

**for the counter.**

**"Morning," said Hagrid to a free goblin. "We've come ter take some money outta Mr. Harry Potter's safe."**

**"You have his key, Sir?"**

**"Got it here somewhere," said Hagrid, and he started emptying his**

**pockets onto the counter, scattering a handful of moldy dog biscuits**

**Over the goblin's book of numbers. **

"OH they are not going to like that," bill said quietly and Harry nodded.

**The goblin wrinkled his nose. Harry**

**watched the goblin on their right weighing a pile of rubies as big as**

**glowing coals.**

**"Got it," said Hagrid at last, holding up a tiny golden key.**

**The goblin looked at it closely.**

**"That seems to be in order."**

**"An' I've also got a letter here from Professor Dumbledore," said Hagrid importantly, throwing out his chest. "It's about the you Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen."**

"What?!" most of the hall chorused and they looked to the golden trio.

"Why did you look at us?" Harry asked.

"Well you do solve all of the mysteries here at Hogwarts," Seamus explained and Remus bit back a groan as Sirius hid his snout in his paws.

**The goblin read the letter carefully.**

**"Very well," he said, handing it back to Hagrid, "I will have someone**

**take you down to both vaults. Griphook!"**

Bill nodded slightly. Griphook was a good goblin not like the creepy ones.

**Griphook was yet another goblin. Once Hagrid had crammed all the dog**

**biscuits back inside his pockets, he and Harry followed Griphook toward**

**one of the doors leading off the hall.**

**"What's the You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen?" Harry asked.**

"Your parents would have asked the exact same question," Remus said shaking his head fondly. Harry's eyes brightened at the mention of his parents. Just as he was about to ask more Draco read on.

**"Can't tell yeh that," said Hagrid mysteriously. "Very secret. Hogwarts**

**Business. Dumbledore's trusted me. More'n my jobs worth ter tell yeh**

**That."**

"And that is when he got interested," Hermione said and Harry (being the mature 15 year old he is) stuck his tongue out at her.

**Griphook held the door open for them. Harry, who had expected more**

**Marble, was surprised. They were in a narrow stone passageway lit with**

**Flaming torches. It sloped steeply downward and there were little**

**railway tracks on the floor. Griphook whistled and a small cart came**

**hurtling up the tracks toward them. They climbed in - Hagrid with some difficulty - and were off.**

"Oh you're not in one of the good carts," bill said wincing.

**At first they just hurtled through a maze of twisting passages. Harry**

**tried to remember, left, right, right, left, middle fork, right, left,**

Tonks was counting on her fingers.

"Wow you got more than Remus!" she said impressed "but just as much as your parents."

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked.

"Well in auror training you have to go to Gringotts and try and memorize the way to a vault. I got 3," she said proudly.

"6," Remus said "Snuffles got 4 and both your parents got 7 Harry."

"9," mad eye said gruffly.

"I got 6 as well," Kingsley said in his soft voice.

**But it was impossible. The rattling cart seemed to know its own way,**

**because Griphook wasn't steering.**

**Harry's eyes stung as the cold air rushed past them, but he kept them**

**wide open. Once, he thought he saw a burst of fire at the end of a**

**passage and twisted around to see if it was a dragon, but too late - -**

Charlie silently fumed, how dare they put an innocent dragon in a bank prison!

**They plunged even deeper, passing an underground lake where huge**

**stalactites and stalagmites grew from the ceiling and floor.**

**I never know," Harry called to Hagrid over the noise of the cart,**

**"what's the difference between a stalagmite and a stalactite?"**

Just as Hermione was about to start lecturing, Ron put his hand over her mouth.

"It will be explained," he said and she blushed.

**"Stalagmite's got an 'm' in it,"**

The Hogwarts population laughed at the stunned look on Hermione and the Ravenclaws faces. Luna snickered as well she seemed better.

**Said Hagrid. "An' don' ask me questions just now, I think I'm gonna be sick."**

**He did look very green, and when the cart stopped at last beside a small**

**door in the passage wall, Hagrid got out and had to lean against the**

**wall to stop his knees from trembling.**

**Griphook unlocked the door. A lot of green smoke came billowing out, and as it cleared, Harry gasped. Inside were mounds of gold coins. Columns of silver. Heaps of little bronze Knuts.**

"That's probably just your school vault," bill said wisely.

"Uh do you happen to know what's in the other vaults?" Harry asked.

"Uh well 17 of them only hold money. about 5 hold different treasures from the potter clan. 1 only holds bonds and stock papers and shareholders notes that sort of stuff," bill said and Harry blushed as everyone ogled at him.

**"All yours," smiled Hagrid.**

**All Harry's - it was incredible. The Dursleys couldn't have known about**

**this or they'd have had it from him faster than blinking. How often had**

**They complained how much Harry cost them to keep?**

"Albus you know they were given a lump sum every month to take care of Harry with," McGonagall hissed.

"I Know my dear," Dumbledore said gravely "_it seems that the goblins will be very frustrated as they had said that the wards had gone off saying the money wasn't being used properly," _he added in his head.

**And all the time there had been a small fortune belonging to him, buried deep under London. Hagrid helped Harry pile some of it into a bag.**

**"The gold ones are Galleons," he explained. "Seventeen silver Sickles to**

**a Galleon and twenty-nine Knuts to a Sickle, it's easy enough. Right,**

**that should be enough fer a couple o' terms, we'll keep the rest safe**

**for yeh." He turned to Griphook. "Vault seven hundred and thirteen now, please, and can we go more slowly?"**

**"One speed only," said Griphook.**

"It's not one speed," Draco interrupted himself.

"Hagrid always manages to somehow piss of the goblins so they have never told him they go different speeds," Bill explained only stopping once when Mrs. Weasley admonished him for his language.

**They were going even deeper now and gathering speed. The air became**

**colder and colder as they hurtled round tight corners. They went**

**rattling over an underground ravine, and Harry leaned over the side to**

**try to see what was down at the dark bottom, but Hagrid groaned and**

**Pulled him back by the scruff of his neck.**

"_Thank god,"_ Mrs. Weasley and McGonagall thought. the boy got into enough danger without self-inflicting danger himself.

**Vault seven hundred and thirteen had no keyhole.**

"What are you doing there?" bill wondered, "That's a high security vault."

**"Stand back," said Griphook importantly. He stroked the door gently with one of his long fingers and it simply melted away.**

**`"If anyone but a Gringotts goblin tried that, they'd be sucked through the door and trapped in there," said Griphook.**

The first and second years shuddered.

**"How often do you check to see if anyone's inside?" Harry asked.**

**"About once every ten years," said Griphook with a rather nasty grin.**

"That's vile," Ginny said and Harry felt his stomach flip-flop a bit.

**Something really extraordinary had to be inside this top security vault,**

**Harry was sure, and he leaned forward eagerly, expecting to see fabulous jewels at the very least - but at first he thought it was empty. Then he noticed a grubby little package wrapped up in brown paper lying on the floor. Hagrid picked it up and tucked it deep inside his coat. Harry longed to know what it was, but knew better than to ask.**

**"Come on, back in this infernal cart, and don't talk to me on the way back, it's best if I keep me mouth shut," said Hagrid.**

**One wild cart ride later they stood blinking in the sunlight outside**

**Gringotts. Harry didn't know where to run first now that he had a bag full of money. He didn't have to know how many Galleons there were to a pound**

"Well…" Hermione said and before anyone could stop her. She launched into a lecture on the currency systems. The wolf whistled to the DA and they walked over, Hermione oblivious, suddenly her voice disappeared "unknowing silence charm," it explained they walked back when she was almost done.

**To know that he was holding more money than he'd had in his whole life - more money than even Dudley had ever had.**

**"Might as well get yer uniform," said Hagrid, nodding toward Madam**

**Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. "Listen, Harry, would yeh mind if I**

**slipped off fer a pick-me-up in the Leaky Cauldron? I hate them**

**Gringotts carts." He did still look a bit sick, so Harry entered Madam**

**Malkin's shop alone, feeling nervous.**

"He left him alone," Mrs. Weasley said in dismay and Draco groaned _oh god here was the awful part of the chapter._

**Madam Malkin was a squat, smiling witch dressed all in mauve.**

Ginny shuddered as lavender and Parvati began dreaming happily about fashion.

**"Hogwarts, dear?" she said, when Harry started to speak. "Got the lot**

**here - another young man being fitted up just now, in fact. "**

**In the back of the shop, a boy with a pale, pointed face was standing on**

**A footstool while a second witch pinned up his long black robes.**

"Hmmmmm I wonder who that is?" Harry said in fake confusion and grinned evilly in Draco's way.

**Madam Malkin stood Harry on a stool next to him) slipped a long robe over his head, and began to pin it to the right length.**

**"Hello," said the boy, "Hogwarts, too?"**

**"Yes," said Harry.**

**"My father's next door buying my books and mother's up the street**

**Looking at wands," said the boy.**

"What's the point of looking at wands?" Hermione asked "it's the wand that chooses the wizard."

"Maybe that's why his magic is mediocre…" Harry said innocently. Draco didn't realize he had been insulted.

**He had a bored, drawling voice. "Then I'm going to drag them off to look at racing brooms. I don't see why first years can't have their own. I think I'll bully father into getting me one and I'll smuggle it in somehow."**

**Harry was strongly reminded of Dudley.**

"I am not like that pompous whale," Draco spluttered.

"Not in looks but personality…" Harry trailed off.

**"Have you got your own broom?" the boy went on.**

**"No," said Harry.**

**"Play Quidditch at all?"**

"No," Fred said.

"Not at all," George continued.

"Hate the ruddy sport," Harry concluded.

**"No," Harry said again, wondering what on earth Quidditch could be.**

The Quidditch fanatics were shocked and gasping.

"If Wood was here…" Angelina said.

"Oliver, would have fainted," Alicia concluded.

"Good idea!" the wolf said and ran out of the hall. They all stared after it for a moment until they heard a voice a familiar brusque voice.

"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL IS GOING ON!" it roared and in came Oliver wood being dragged by his robes in the wolfs teeth.

"Have fun," the wolf said. Angelina, Katie, and Alicia began bringing Oliver up to speed on what was going on (helpfully leaving out the part about Harry not knowing about Quidditch.)

**"I do - Father says it's a crime if I'm not picked to play for my**

**house, and I must say, I agree. Know what house you'll be in yet?"**

"No one knows that," Tonks said voicing the obvious. Draco chose to ignore her.

**"No," said Harry, feeling more stupid by the minute.**

**"Well, no one really knows until they get there, do they, but I know**

**I'll be in Slytherin, all our family have been - imagine being in**

**Hufflepuff, I think I'd leave,**

"Hey," the badger house growled. For being the house of the kind and forgiving they looked downright murderous.

**Wouldn't you?" "Mmm," said Harry, wishing he could say something a bit more interesting.**

**"I say, look at that man!" said the boy suddenly, nodding toward the**

**front window. Hagrid was standing there, grinning at Harry and pointing at two large ice creams to show he couldn't come in.**

Many smiled Hagrid sure was thoughtful.

**"That's Hagrid," said Harry, pleased to know something the boy didn't.**

**"He works at Hogwarts."**

**"Oh," said the boy, "I've heard of him. He's a sort of servant, isn't**

**he?"**

"No," DA growled but suddenly their leader waved his hand.

"Guys lay off Malfoy that's all he was ever told for 11 years I'm sure he knows better now."

**"He's the gamekeeper," said Harry. He was liking the boy less and less**

**every second.**

**"Yes, exactly. I heard he's a sort of savage - lives in a hut on the**

**school grounds and every now and then he gets drunk, tries to do magic,**

**and ends up setting fire to his bed."**

Remus snorted but tried to hide it.

"What did you do Remmy?" Tonks asked in a condescending tone.

"That's was us actually we were visiting him

James + Hagrid+ a bottle of fire whiskey= bad."

**"I think he's brilliant," said Harry coldly.**

**"Do you?" said the boy, with a slight sneer. "Why is he with you? Where**

**are your parents?"**

**"They're dead," said Harry shortly. He didn't feel much like going into**

**the matter with this boy.**

"Can't blame you," Susan bones muttered.

**"Oh, sorry," said the other boy, not sounding sorry at all. "But they were**

**our kind, weren't they?"**

**"They were a witch and wizard, if that's what you mean."**

**"I really don't think they should let the other sort in, do you? They're**

**Just not the same, they've never been brought up to know our ways. Some of them have never even heard of Hogwarts until they get the letter, imagine. I think they should keep it in the old wizarding families.**

**What's your surname, anyway?"**

**But before Harry could answer, Madam Malkin said, "That's you done, mydear," and Harry, not sorry for an excuse to stop talking to the boy,**

**hopped down from the footstool.**

**"Well, I'll see you at Hogwarts, I suppose," said the drawling boy.**

**Harry was rather quiet as he ate the ice cream Hagrid had bought him**

**(chocolate and raspberry with chopped nuts).**

"That was Lilly's favorite," Remus whispered to Harry. he seemed to pick up on Harry's eagerness for knowledge on his parents.

**"What's up?" said Hagrid.**

**"Nothing," Harry lied. They stopped to buy parchment and quills. Harry cheered up a bit when he found a bottle of ink that changed color as youwrote. When they had left the shop, he said, "Hagrid, what's Quidditch?"**

The hall heard hyperventilating and looked to the corner where Oliver was they saw him clutching his chest.

"How—can… you not... know… what Quidditch is?" he said before fainting

The hall roared with laughter as McGonagall took pity on her ex Gryffindor and reneverated him.

**"Blimey, Harry, I keep forgettin' how little yeh know - not knowin'**

**about Quidditch!"**

**"Don't make me feel worse," said Harry. He told Hagrid about the pate**

**boy in Madam Malkin's.**

**"-and he said people from Muggle families shouldn't even be allowed**

**in."**

**"Yer not from a Muggle family. If he'd known who yeh were - he's grown up knowin' yer name if his parents are wizardin' folk. You saw what everyone in the Leaky Cauldron was like when they saw yeh. Anyway, what does he know about it, some o' the best I ever saw were the only ones with magic in 'em in a long line 0' Muggles - look at yer mum! Look what she had fer a sister!"**

The twins waggled their tongues in disgust.

**"So what is Quidditch?"**

**"It's our sport. Wizard sport. It's like - like soccer in the Muggle**

**world - everyone follows Quidditch - played up in the air on**

**broomsticks and there's four balls - sorta hard ter explain the rules."**

"It is not!" the Quidditch geeks roared.

**"And what are Slytherin and Hufflepuff?"**

**"School houses. There's four. Everyone says Hufflepuff are a lot o'**

**duffers, but -"**

"Hey!" the Hufflepuffs said; Tonks being loudest.

"I interrupted him," Harry said calmly, "I'm sure he would have said that's definitely not true."

**"I bet I'm in Hufflepuff" said Harry gloomily.**

**"Better Hufflepuff than Slytherin," said Hagrid darkly. "There's not a**

**single witch or wizard who went bad who wasn't in Slytherin.**

**You-Know-Who was one."**

**"Vol-, sorry - You-Know-Who was at Hogwarts?"**

**"Years an' years ago," said Hagrid.**

**They bought Harry's school books in a shop called Flourish and Blotts**

**where the shelves were stacked to the ceiling with books as large as**

**paving stones bound in leather; books the size of postage stamps in**

**covers of silk; books full of peculiar symbols and a few books with**

**nothing in them at all. Even Dudley, who never read anything, would have been wild to get his hands on some of these. Hagrid almost had to drag Harry away from Curses and Countercurses (Bewitch Your Friends and Befuddle Your Enemies with the Latest Revenges: Hair Loss, Jelly-Legs, Tongue- Tying and Much, Much More) by Professor Vindictus Viridian.**

**"I was trying to find out how to curse Dudley."**

"Yay the twins cheered.

**"I'm not sayin' that's not a good idea, but yer not ter use magic in the**

**Muggle world except in very special circumstances,"**

"Awww," the twins booed.

**Said Hagrid. "An' vanyway, yeh couldn' work any of them curses yet, yeh'll need a lot more study before yeh get ter that level."**

"Not Hermione," Ron and Harry chorused making their third trio member blush.

**Hagrid wouldn't let Harry buy a solid gold cauldron, either ("It says**

**pewter on yer list"), but they got a nice set of scales for weighing**

**potion ingredients**

"You know I was really excited for potions until I met the teacher," Harry said quietly.

"Your mum was second in our year for that. Snape beat everyone by a mile for that test," Remus informed him.

**And a collapsible brass telescope. Then they visited**

**the Apothecary, which was fascinating enough to make up for its horrible**

**smell, a mixture of bad eggs and rotted cabbages. Barrels of slimy stuff**

**stood on the floor; jars of herbs, dried roots, and bright powders lined**

**the walls; bundles of feathers, strings of fangs, and snarled claws hung**

**from the ceiling. While Hagrid asked the man behind the counter for a**

**supply of some basic potion ingredients for Harry, Harry himself**

**examined silver unicorn horns at twenty-one Galleons each and minuscule,**

**glittery-black beetle eyes (five Knuts a scoop).**

"You remember those numbers?" Flitwick asked dazed and Umbridge impatiently cleared her throat. These books weren't helping her cause. in fact so far they had made her inquisitorial squad members look bad! Something was up…

**Outside the Apothecary, Hagrid checked Harry's list again.**

**"Just yer wand left - A yeah, an' I still haven't got yeh a birthday**

**present."**

**Harry felt himself go red.**

**"You don't have to -"**

"Oh Harry," Hermione groaned smacking said boy upside the head.

"Ow! Bloody hell Hermione whad ya do that for?" Harry asked rubbing the irritated spot.

"Stop being an idiot," she said.

"Hermione this happened 4 years ago," he reminded her.

**"I know I don't have to. Tell yeh what, I'll get yer animal. Not a toad,**

**Toads went outta fashion years ago,**

"Sorry Neville," Harry apologized.

"It's okay Harry," Neville said "that damn toad is worth more lost than it is found."

**Yeh'd be laughed at - an' I don' like cats, they make me sneeze. I'll get yer an owl. All the kids want owls, they're dead useful, carry yer mail an' everythin'."**

**Twenty minutes later, they left Eeylops Owl Emporium, which had been**

**dark and full of rustling and flickering, jewel-bright eyes. Harry now**

**carried a large cage that held a beautiful snowy owl, fast asleep with**

**her head under her wing.**

There was a bird cry and Hedwig swooped down landing in Harry's lap. He pet her feathers as she got comfortable. the Gryffindor 5th year girls sighed she was such a pretty owl.

**He couldn't stop stammering his thanks, sounding just like Professor Quirrell.**

Harry sounded disgusted at such a comparison.

**"Don' mention it," said Hagrid gruffly. "Don' expect you've had a lotta**

**presents from them Dursleys.**

"Try none," the DA and teachers growled.

**Just Olivander's left now - only place ferwands, Ollivanders, and yeh gotta have the best wand."**

Harry paled. Everyone was going to know about his wand connection to Voldemort. What if one of the Slytherin told Voldemort?

**A magic wand... this was what Harry had been really looking forward to.**

"Don't we all," Tonks said chuckling.**  
**

**The last shop was narrow and shabby. Peeling gold letters over the door**

**read Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C. A single wand lay**

**On a faded purple cushion in the dusty window.**

"Whose wand is it?" Hermione asked.

"Olivander's own wand. The last one made by his father. Specifically tailored for Ollivander himself," Dumbledore supplied helpfully.

**A tinkling bell rang somewhere in the depths of the shop as they stepped**

**inside. It was a tiny place, empty except for a single, spindly chair**

**that Hagrid sat on to wait. Harry felt strangely as though he had**

**entered a very strict library; he swallowed a lot of new questions that**

**had just occurred to him and looked instead at the thousands of narrow**

**boxes piled neatly right up to the ceiling. For some reason, the back of**

**his neck prickled. The very dust and silence in here seemed to tingle**

**With some secret magic.**

"We have to test Mr. Potter's magic levels," Flitwick said quietly to McGonagall.

**"Good afternoon," said a soft voice. Harry jumped. Hagrid must have**

**jumped, too, because there was a loud crunching noise and he got quickly**

**off the spindly chair.**

**An old man was standing before them, his wide, pale eyes shining like**

**moons through the gloom of the shop.**

**"Hello," said Harry awkwardly.**

**"Ah yes," said the man. "Yes, yes. I thought I'd be seeing you soon.**

**Harry Potter." It wasn't a question. "You have your mother's eyes. It**

**seems only yesterday she was in here herself, buying her first wand. Ten**

**and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wand for charm**

**Work."**

Remus saw harry looking deep in thought as if trying to commit it to memory.

**Mr. Ollivander moved closer to Harry. Harry wished he would blink. Those**

**silvery eyes were a bit creepy.**

**"Your father, on the other hand, favored a mahogany wand. Eleven inches.**

**Pliable. A little more power and excellent for transfiguration. Well, I**

**say your father favored it - it's really the wand that chooses the**

**wizard, of course."**

**Mr. Ollivander had come so close that he and Harry were almost nose to**

**nose. Harry could see himself reflected in those misty eyes.**

**"And that's where..."**

**Mr. Ollivander touched the lightning scar on Harry's forehead with a**

**long, white finger.**

**"I'm sorry to say I sold the wand that did it," he said softly.**

**"Thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Powerful wand, very powerful, and in**

**the wrong hands... well, if I'd known what that wand was going out into**

**the world to do..."**

"_I still can't believe he blames himself for the entire_ war," Dumbledore thought.

**He shook his head and then, to Harry's relief, spotted Hagrid.**

**"Rubeus! Rubeus Hagrid! How nice to see you again... Oak, sixteen**

**inches, rather bendy, wasn't it?"**

**"It was, sir, yes," said Hagrid.**

**"Good wand, that one. But I suppose they snapped it in half when you got expelled?" said Mr. Ollivander, suddenly stern.**

**"Er - yes, they did, yes," said Hagrid, shuffling his feet. "I've still**

**got the pieces, though," he added brightly.**

**"But you don't use them?" said Mr. Ollivander sharply.**

"No of course not," the twins laughed.

**"Oh, no, sit," said Hagrid quickly. Harry noticed he gripped his pink**

**umbrella very tightly as he spoke.**

**"Hmmm," said Mr. Ollivander, giving Hagrid a piercing look. "Well, now**

**- Mr. Potter. Let me see." He pulled a long tape measure with silver**

**markings out of his pocket. "Which is your wand arm?"**

**"Er - well, I'm right-handed," said Harry.**

**"Hold out your arm. That's it." He measured Harry from shoulder to**

**finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit and round**

**his head. As he measured, he said, "Every Ollivander wand has a core of**

**a powerful magical substance, Mr. Potter. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix**

**tail feathers, and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands**

**are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenixes are quite**

**the same.**

"Unless it's the same phoenix," Harry said twirling his wand in his hands.

"Actually Mr. Potter I believe only three phoenixes in existence gave more than one feather," professor Sinistra said, "and all of them happened long before you were born."

**And of course, you will never get such good results with**

**another wizard's wand."**

"Uh but Harry Hermione and I can use each other's wands fine," Ron said "I mean I feel most comfortable with my wand but like say if Hermione's wand fell out of her hand I can use hers as well,"

"Well Mr. Weasley that only happens when the people are extremely close. It usually only happens between family members and even then it's scarce. But twin's well twins usually have no problems with it," Sinistra explained "mar's Weasley if you will…"

The twins each made a spout of water come out of their wands and tossed each other their wands and did the same magic with equal strength.

**Harry suddenly realized that the tape measure, which was measuring**

**between his nostrils, was doing this on its own. Mr. Ollivander was**

**flitting around the shelves, taking down boxes.**

**"That will do," he said, and the tape measure crumpled into a heap on**

**the floor. "Right then, Mr. Potter. Try this one. Beechwood and dragon**

**heartstring. Nine inches. Nice and flexible. just take it and give it a**

**wave."**

Lavender shook her head.

"Nope." was all anyone got out of her.

**Harry took the wand and (feeling foolish) waved it around a bit, but Mr.**

**Ollivander snatched it out of his hand almost at once.**

**"Maple and phoenix feather. Seven inches. Quite whippy. **

She shook her head again.

**Try -"**

**Harry tried - but he had hardly raised the wand when it, too, was**

**snatched back by Mr. Ollivander.**

**"No, no -here, ebony and unicorn hair, eight and a half inches, springy.**

**Go on, go on, try it out."**

"Nope."

**Harry tried. And tried. He had no idea what Mr. Ollivander was waiting**

**for. The pile of tried wands was mounting higher and higher on the**

**spindly chair, but the more wands Mr. Ollivander pulled from the**

**shelves, the happier he seemed to become.**

"He likes a tricky customer," Dumbledore chuckled.

"Usually you can measure a person's magic by how many wands they have to choose from," Kingsley said shocking everyone who had forgotten he was there.

"Uh it took me 15," Hermione.

"9," Ron said.

"11," Ginny replied.

"15," Tonks said.

"18," Remus said "snuffles got 13 and your mom got 48. Snuffles would know what your dad got."

57 mad eye grumbled.

"132," Dumbledore said twinkly eyed.

They looked to Harry who mumbled a number.

"Dint catch that mate," Ron said.

"Fine! I lost count after 128!" Harry said aggravated by the ogles sent his way.

**"Tricky customer, eh? Not to worry, we'll find the perfect match here**

**somewhere - I wonder, now - - yes, why not - unusual combination -**

**Holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple."**

Everyone looked to lavender who smiled and nodded.

"That's it."

McGonagall moved over to Dumbledore

"Albus maybe we should have mms brown meet with Ollivander. he has told us to be on the lookout for an apprentice for him."

**Harry took the wand. He felt a sudden warmth in his fingers. He raised**

**The wand above his head, brought it swishing down through the dusty air**

**and a stream of red and gold sparks shot from the end like a firework,**

"Even back then you were destined to be a Gryffindor," Ron whispered.

**throwing dancing spots of light on to the walls. Hagrid whooped and**

**clapped and Mr. Ollivander cried, "Oh, bravo! Yes, indeed, oh, very**

**good. Well, well, well... how curious... how very curious... "**

"What's curious?" the Ravenclaws whispered to each other.

**He put Harry's wand back into its box and wrapped it in brown paper,**

**still muttering, "Curious... curious..**

**"Sorry," said Harry, "but what's curious?"**

**Mr. Ollivander fixed Harry with his pale stare.**

**"I remember every wand I've ever sold, Mr. Potter.**

"Woah," Parvati said "cool! Can you do that lavender?"

"If I had some paper and a pen," lavender replied.

**Every single wand. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave another feather - just one other. It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother why, its brother gave you that scar."**

There was instant silence in the hall.

"Who? What?" Percy stuttered and Umbridge gave a shriek of glee.

"A hah! This proves it! I told you Cornelius! I told you he's an evil wizard!" she yelled.

"For god's sake you bumbling bimbo sit down and stop shrieking!" McGonagall snapped the twins let out dual low whistles.

"Burn," they said.

Harry was biting his lower lip staring firmly at the ground. he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up and saw Remus sitting by him with a friendly smile intact.

"This doesn't change anything Harry," Remus said quietly to him and pad foot barked in agreement.

"Yeah who cares it's not like you chose your wand," Ron said and the DA all agreed glaring at whoever was staring at their leader.

"Yep just like Ollivander says the wand chooses the wizard," Hermione agreed and harry felt himself let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

**Harry swallowed.**

**"Yes, thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Curious indeed how these things**

**happen. The wand chooses the wizard, remember... I think we must expect great things from you, Mr. Potter... After all, He- Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things - terrible, yes, but great."**

"Uh did he just compliment You-Know-Who?" Ron asked shocked.

"Just the magic from the wand, I believe Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore said.

**Harry shivered. He wasn't sure he liked Mr. Ollivander too much. He paid seven gold Galleons for his wand, and Mr. Ollivander bowed them from his shop.**

**The late afternoon sun hung low in the sky as Harry and Hagrid made**

**Their way back down Diagon Alley, back through the wall, back through**

**The Leaky Cauldron, now empty. Harry didn't speak at all as they walked Down the road; he didn't even notice how much people were gawking at Them on the Underground, laden as they were with all their funny-shaped Packages, with the snowy owl asleep in its cage on Harry's lap. Up another escalator, out into Paddington station; Harry only realized where they were when Hagrid tapped him on the shoulder.**

**"Got time fer a bite to eat before yer train leaves," he said.**

**He bought Harry a hamburger and they sat down on plastic seats to eat**

**them. Harry kept looking around. Everything looked so strange, somehow.**

"I know," Hermione said, "I felt like I had just slipped into a dream world."

**"You all right, Harry? Yer very quiet," said Hagrid.**

**Harry wasn't sure he could explain. He'd just had the best birthday of**

**his life - and yet - he chewed his hamburger, trying to find the words**

**"Everyone thinks I'm special,"**

"You are special," Ginny said then blushed from the stares she got.

**He said at last. "All those people in the**

**Leaky Cauldron, Professor Quirrell, Mr. Ollivander... but I don't know**

**anything about magic at all. How can they expect great things? I'm**

**famous and I can't even remember what I'm famous for. I don't know what happened when Vol-, sorry - I mean, the night my parents died."**

**Hagrid leaned across the table. Behind the wild beard and eyebrows he wore a very kind smile.**

"Cue super great advice," Tonks said.

**"Don' you worry, Harry. You'll learn fast enough. Everyone starts at the beginning at Hogwarts, you'll be just fine. just be yerself. I know it's hard. Yeh've been singled out, an' that's always hard. But yeh'll have a great time at Hogwarts I did -still do, 'smatter of fact."**

**Hagrid helped Harry on to the train that would take him back to the**

**Dursleys, then handed him an envelope.**

**"Year ticket fer Hogwarts," he said. "First o' September King's Cross it's all on yer ticket. Any problems with the Dursleys, send me a**

**Letter with your owl, she'll know where to find me... See yeh soon,**

**Harry."**

"Wait Hermione said with a calculating look on her face, "he didn't tell you how to get on the platform."

**The train pulled out of the station. Harry wanted to watch Hagrid until he was out of sight; he rose in his seat and pressed his nose against the window, but he blinked and Hagrid had gone.**

"That's the end of that chapter," Draco said extremely relieved.

"Okay," Harry said "who are all these people?" showing Ron and Hermione the marauders map. There were at least fifteen names they had never seen before.

"Foiled by a map," they heard the wolf say.

"We tried our best Andie," they heard a boys voice say not too far away. it was the voice from before and all of a sudden and invisibility cloak was shone in midair.

There were four people underneath it.

"James you start explaining me and the others will be over in a couple seconds," the wolf said before running out of the hall.

"Uh hi! I'm James Sirius potter and uh me my family and some friends came from the future!" The boy said brightly and the three kids behind him face slapped.

BYE BYE PEEPS I WILL TRY TO POST MORE OFTEN]

ANDIE


End file.
